A New Friendship
by baka-neko-fan
Summary: Kantarou and Natsume meet by chance and discover each other's abilities. As they get to know each other, they become friends and slowly, cautiously, begin to open up to one another.
1. Gathering of Friends

So I noticed that there aren't enough Natsume Yuujinchou (Natsume's Book of Friends) fanfictions. I also noticed that most of them are Natori/Natsume-centric. This makes me want to shoot things. Furthermore, I noticed that there aren't enough Tactics fanfictions. I'm not going to complain about the content of those. HaruKan for the win. Because I strongly support HaruKan and TanuNatsu, and this is supposed to be a Kantarou/Natsume centric fic, this is probably going to be a pretty PG fanfic. Honestly I don't see them having a romantic relationship, but... I mean... Wouldn't they be epic friends? They're so much alike (even in hairstyle, anybody else catch that?) so, yeah. If you're reading this wondering "Why is Baka writing ANOTHER new fic instead of updating the others?" the answer is... Because I said so and I'm a bad person. Also because Natsume Yuujinchou SHI premiered on the 2nd. If you didn't know that, you do now, so go watch it. Also, for those of you who are only familiar with Tactics or only familiar with Natsume Yuujinchou, I suggest you go read and/or watch the other because, quite frankly, they're both amazing. Enough of this rant.

THIS FANFICTION WILL NOT CONTAIN LEMONS. I promise. There may be a bit of flirting and implied boy love, but none of it will actually occur. You're welcome to let your imagination do whatever it wants to this fic, but... It's intended to be friendship, not love. Also, I don't own Natsume Yuujinchou or Tactics, or affiliated characters, products, etc; I just think they're both really epic win and decided to write this, mmkay? Pay no mind to the fact that they're from different time periods, because quite frankly, I don't care. If I want to believe Tactics is modern-day, I will. And I can. And I did. So just enjoy. xD

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><p>"It's been a while since we've gone so far away from home for a job, hasn't it, Haruka?" The silver-haired boy tilted his head towards his beloved companion as he walked on, but found nobody there. Pausing, he looked around, somewhat confused "Haruka? Haru-"<p>

"SENSEI! I FOUND YOU!" Kantarou turned to see what the yelling was about, and was bowled over by a teenage boy who was clearly in a hurry. Dazed, Kantarou stared up at the boy who was now on top of him. Something about the energy from this kid was different than anyone Kantarou had met before. The teen apologized excessivley as he stood up and offered a hand to help Kantarou up.

As Kantarou accepted the hand and stood, he said "I'm fine, don't worry about it," With a gentle smile. "Why are you in such a rush?"

Natsume fumbled for an excuse for a moment, "My cat... ran away from home and I saw him just now, over by Nanatsuji's," pointing to the shop.

Following his gaze, Kantarou spotted Haruka, sitting on a bench, calmly eating a sweet bun. "HARUKA!" Kantarou stormed over to the tengu, completely forgetting about Natsume, who was running right behind him.

In a simultaneous rage, both Natsume and Kantarou shouted "Don't just run off like that!" They looked at each other, then back to the ones they had been searching for.

It was then that Kantarou noticed the ball of a cat sitting in Haruka's lap, also eating something, though it was going down so quickly he couldn't tell what. "Haruka... Feeding strange youkai with my money isn't part of the job description. Don't leave me like that again, I thought something happened."

The tengu swallowed the rest of his bun and licked his fingers clean "I got them for free and decided the cat was more deserving of food than you." He teased, which of course sent Kantarou into a brand new tantrum.

Natsume glanced at his self-proclaimed bodyguard, who was cautiously eyeing Kantarou. Had he referred to Nyanko-sensei as a youkai? He snatched the cat off of the tengu's lap and growled lowly "Will you at least pretend to do your job? Honestly, you stuff your face enough at home."

The implication of Madara being fat started one of their ritualistic arguments, that finally ended when Kantarou asked Natsume "Is that your cat?"

"Ah... Yeah, this is him. He's a bit of a pig... I'm sorry, it sounds like he stole your friend's food." Natsume sighed, glaring at the cat.

Haruka rubbed the cat's head and said, "He seemed hungry, so I gave it to him. Kantarou, let's go."

Kantarou, remembering the reason they were there, turned to Natsume with a warm smile and asked, "By any chance, do you know where the Tanumas live? We got a little off the path of the directions we were given."

Natsume stared at Kantarou, somewhat uneasy now. First he'd said the word "youkai," something Natsume wasn't used to hearing from most people, and now he wanted to know where Tanuma lived? "It's okay, Natsume. I don't think they mean any harm, but be on your guard. The tengu is infamously powerful. I heard he'd been sealed up a while back, but he seems to be different now. It shouldn't be a problem, but I'll stay close just in case."

Wide eyed, Natsume, whispered to his cat, "Tengu?"

The ayakashi nodded, looking up at his prey with those smiling eyes of his. "It seems we've stumbled across some interesting people today, Natsume. Let's see what they're up to."

Still uncertain, but feeling better with Nyanko-sensei's support, he nodded to Kantarou, "I can take you there."

"Ah, really? Thank you!" Kantarou bowed slightly, before following Natsume, glancing behind him on occasion to make sure Haruka was still within sight. Eventually, the road became a path through the woods, at which point, Kantarou rested a hand on Natsume's shoulder, stopping him.

Natsume tilted his head to look at Kantarou, "Is something wrong?" Kantarou pointed to the ground about a foot in front of Natsume, where a snake was making it's way across the path from a dense bush. "Oh, thank you. I would have stepped on it..." Both boys watched as the snake continued across the path, until Natsume noticed that about halfway down the snake's body, long fur replaced scales. Startled by this discovery, he yelped and dropped Madara.

Kantarou raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you afraid? He doesn't mean us any harm." The man crouched down by the snake youkai and encouraged, "Go on, I won't let the cat eat you." The youkai watched Kantarou for a moment, then thanked him and went on his way. Kantarou straightened up and said, "I thought there was something different about you. Especially when I saw your "cat..." You see youkai too..."

Natsume backed up a bit more, stopping only when he bumped into Haruka. "Tengu..." He said quietly, stepping away from Haruka as well.

"His name is Haruka." Kantarou told Natsume, "He has a bit of a reputation as being the onikui tengu." (A/N- demon eating tengu)

"Onikui...?" Natsume shivered at the name. He had never heard of such a thing, but the title was rather frightening. "You eat demons?"

Uninterested in the conversation, Haruka continued down the path towards the Tanuma household. "He used to, before I met him. He was sealed away for several years... When I broke the seal, I named him Haruka, and I don't allow him to eat demons. It seems a cruel thing to do. I'm sorry if I scared you before, it's just that I've never met someone else who can see youkai."

Natsume nodded, completely understanding the feeling, "It's alright... My name is Natsume Takashi-"

"You're Natsume?" Kantarou asked, a shimmer of excitement in his eye, "Natsume of the Book of Friends? Reiko's grandson?"

Gripping the bag containing the Book tightly, he nodded. There was no denying it, but even so, if that was what this Kantarou was after... It could be trouble.

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><p>I'm going to end this chapter there. I know it seems kinda random, but... I'm kinda thinking nobody's going to read this anyway so it doesn't really matter. If you do read it, however, and you like it, please speak up. I like hearing from people, and I probably won't continue typing this story if I don't get any responses. I enjoy it enough just thinking about it, this is all for you.<p> 


	2. Hidden Beauty

Turns out people are actually reading this, so... Have another chapter! xD

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><p>Madara stepped closer to Natsume when The Book of Friends was mentioned, prepared to fight, though he still couldn't sense any malicious intent from Kantarou. "How do you know all of that?" The teen asked, clutching his bag tightly, grateful that Madara hadn't run off. He knew there was no denying his relation to Reiko, and if this man knew about the Book...<p>

"You've become rather popular among youkai. We don't live near here, but word travels quickly. Rumor has it there's a boy called Natsume Takashi, the grandson of Natsume Reiko, who has inherited her Book of Friends, and is returning the names within it to the youkai with help from a fat cat..." He glanced down at Madara thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, the cat fits the description, too"

Naturally, Madara threw a fit when Kantarou called him fat, "This is not my true form! My true form is graceful, magnificent, divine-"

Natsume whacked the strange creature upside the head and sighed. "I won't let anyone take the Book from me." He stated simply, trying to sound as confident as possible, though he really hated fighting, especially if it was going to be against a human.

"I don't want it," Kantarou said simply, turning away from the boy and cat as he continued down the path, "If the rumors are true, I'd like to help you. What you're doing is the right thing, and it should bring a bit more peace to this land."

Natsume blinked. Kantarou wanted to help him? They were little more than strangers and he wanted to assist him with such an arduous, dangerous task? Why? One thing was for certain, he couldn't trust anyone who knew about The Book of Friends so easily. "Speaking of peace, what business do you have with the Tanumas?" He wondered aloud, following Kantarou as Madara made his way back onto Natsume's shoulder.

"The priest believes his son is sensitive to youkai, and that something there is making him weak. He asked me to exorcise whatever was causing his son so much trouble." Kantarou replied simply.

"Tanuma..." Natsume sighed. He wanted his dear friend to be well, but he truly disliked exorcisms. "You're an exorcist?" He asked, recalling the cruel methods of the exorcists he'd met thus far.

Kantarou nodded, "I ask youkai to leave the families alone and purify evil spirits so that they, too, may go to heaven. I don't try to bring harm to them, unlike most others I've heard-" He paused when the bells on his wrist began to jingle "of... This is dangerous. You should go home, I can find my way from here." He told Natsume, "Thank you for your help."

Natsume froze, concerned for his friend. It was dangerous? What had Kantarou meant by that? "What's dangerous? What do you mean?" He wondered aloud.

Kantarou held up his wrist to show Natsume the bells, "They ring in the presence of demons. There's a demonic presence nearby, you should stay away from here until I'm finished. I thought it would be a youkai feeding off of his energy, but if it's a demon... they can be rather ruthless when confronted..." He winced as the scar on his chest began to sear with pain. Was the demon coming to them? Or had Haruka lured it out? "And... It would be bad if it got a hold of the Book before we could defeat it."

Natsume sighed. The man had a point there, but... He couldn't just abandon Tanuma. "I'm coming with you," He said, determined, as Kantarou began to walk away from him, "The priest's son is a friend of mine. If what you're saying is true, I can't just sit back and watch."

Kantarou paused for a moment, then glanced back at Natsume. "He's your friend? I see... That's good. Alright, you can come along, just don't get too close to the demon. I've been performing exorcisms for years, and Haruka's been working with me for some time now, too. We can handle it on our own, I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're quite the confident human, aren't you?" Madara asked, narrowing his eyes as the three of them made their way to the Tanuma home, "You'd be wise not to underestimate Natsume and I."

"I'm not estimating at all," Kantarou said simply, "I just don't want Natsume to be wounded. His friends would wonder, wouldn't they? It's hard for me to say; humans are a mystery to me, no matter how much time I spend with them."

Natsume held the cat tighter, not realizing he was doing so. "Don't you have friends, Ichinomiya-san?"

Kantarou smiled, "Of course I do... Haruka and Youko-chan... I just don't have any true human friends." Of course there were a few people who considered him to be a friend, but he was still a bit wary of them. "It's great that you have human friends, Natsume-san."

With a sad smile, Natsume said "Only two of them know I can see youkai... Tanuma's one of them... And this is the place," He said, looking up at the building before them. Haruka, who had apparently been lounging on the grass waiting for them, sat up and looked at Kantarou, who was panting slightly now from the pain in his chest.

"Let's get this over with quickly," Haruka suggested as he stood and returned to his master's side.

"Let's," Kantarou agreed as he followed Natsume to the door, where they were soon welcomed inside by the older priest.

"Natsume-kun, you know Ichinomyia-san?" The man wondered aloud, looking from one to the other.

Natsume shook his head, "He got lost, so I helped him find his way here. Is Kaname-kun alright?"

A worried look came over the elder Tanuma's face as he replied, "He just keeps getting weaker, Natsume-kun. I asked Ichinomiya-san to come and see if there's anything he can do for him; I don't know where else to turn. The doctors can't seem to find anything wrong with him, and if it is something otherworldly, I can't do anything on my own."

"Has he always been sickly?" Kantarou asked, clutching the bells on his wrist tightly to keep them silent.

"He's been getting worse recently; I can't remember now how long he's been ill, but the doctors say there's nothing they can do, and I-"

"Tanuma-san," Kantarou interrupted with a gentle smile, "Where is Kaname-san now?"

"In his room... I'm sorry, Natsume-kun, could you show Ichinomiya-san the way? He'll be happy to see you, and I haven't told him about this yet... I didn't want to worry him."

"Of course," Natsume said softly, leading Kantarou and Haruka to Kaname's room. He knocked gently on his friend's door upon arrival, "Tanuma? Are you feeling alright?" He called through the screen. He heard heavy footsteps approaching the door before it slid open. The young Tanuma looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. His eyelids sagged and his hair was slicked back with sweat. His knees gave out and he fell towards Natsume, who caught him, with some help from Kantarou, "Tanuma?"

"He can't hear you." Kantarou said softly, "He's out cold. Whatever's sapping his energy seems to have a pretty strong grip on him. It's worse than Tanuma-san initally told me... Either he didn't realize how bad it was, or it's progressing quickly."

Natsume's eyes widened. How had he failed to notice this? "Will he be okay?" He wondered, biting his lower lip.

"He should be fine after we find the curse and take care of the demon. Wherever the demon is hiding, tampering with the curse should lure him out." The two men brought Tanuma back to his bed and eased him down. "Haruka, help me look," He told the tengu. Though it didn't sound much like a command, his name was used, and so he had to obey. Haruka began to remove the teen's clothing while Kantarou studdied his face, hair, and hands carefully.

Shifting uncomfortably, Natsume asked, "What would the curse look like?"

"Well, it depend-"

"Scratches," Haruka stated as he peeled the sweat-soaked shirt off of Kaname's back, revealing three large scratches running vertically along his spine. "Natsume, hold him up for Kantarou. We have to be prepared for a fight."

Kantarou shot a look at Haruka and said, "You don't have to be so rude about it, Haruka... But if you don't mind, could you please?" Natsume snickered, watching the two interact, and nodded, supporting Kaname in an upright position. He watched careully as Kantarou placed a seal on his friend's back and began to chant, though he was cut short when a massive, ogre-like red demon with gills pinned Kantarou to the ground.

"You dare interrupt my meal? Very well, I'll make a feast of you instead! You seem far more appetizing anyway!" The beast tightened his grip around Kantarou's aching body. Haruka smacked the demon away from his master with his staff and stood in front of Kantarou and the boys.

Kantarou coughed, drawing a scroll from his pocket and beginning a new chant as Haruka held off the demon. Finally, a piercing light seemed to slice the being in half, and it released a blood-curdling scream. Kantarou fell to his knees, tired and in pain as he watched the evil in the creature fade, and it became nothing but a red koi, flopping helplessly on the bedroom floor. "I see," He said softly, lifting the fish from the ground, "You were trying to protect your home, and were tricked, weren't you? These humans mean you no harm, so please leave them in peace," The fish ftopped wriggling and seemed to meet Kantarou's eyes for a moment before swimming through the air and back into the pond in Tanuma's yard with a mighty splash.

"Hmm? Natsume?" Tanuma, who Natsume had since laid back on his bed, opened his eyes and looked up at his friend, "Natsume, what happened?"

Natsume smiled, "It's okay now. Are you feeling better?" He asked gently, "You passed out earlier."

The teen nodded, "I feel fine, better than ever, actually..." It was then that he noticed the two strangers in his room, "Who are they?"

"You can see both of them?" He asked, blinking. It hadn't even occured to him that other people might be able to see Haruka.

"Of course," He sat up, then noticed something sparkling, reflecting light off of his window. "I... can see the pond?" Suddenly concerned, he looked to his friend, "Am I dead, Natsume?"

Kantarou shook his head, "You're alright. There was a demon masking the pond in return for your soul. It's gone now, you're safe." He stood up as Tanuma's father entered the room.

"Is everything alright? There was a lot of noise up here, and then a pond appeared in the yard... What happened?" he asked, looking down at his son, who was still half-naked.

"There was a demon hiding that pond. The reason your son was so ill is because it was devouring his energy; masking the pond in return for Kaname-san's soul. The demon is gone now, so the pond is visible again and your son is healthy." Kantarou explained with a proud smile. "Should the pond fade away, please contact me again, but you should be safe now. I'll erect a barrier just in case," with this, he nodded to Haruka, and the two of them left the room, presumably to create a barrier.

Natsume smiled at his dear friend, "I'm glad you're okay, Tanuma. You scared me for a second there."

The teen smiled back and apologized, "I'm sorry for worrying you... you too, dad."

"As long as you're better now," His father said with a sigh of relief. "The pond really is beautiful, isn't it? To think we had such scenery in our own back yard without even knowing it..." The elder man shook his head in disbelief, leaving his son and Natsume to talk amongst themselves while he went to find Kantarou and discuss payment.

"It really is beautiful, more than I imagined," Tanuma said softly, pulling his shirt back on. "Natsume, who were those men?"

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><p>Cliffhanger? Kinda? Not really. Well, here you are anyway. Chapter 2... I had to include the pond. I mean, it's just so pretty, it's a shame nobody else can see it. I have a thing for water features. Anyway, I hope you liked it ;3 see you next time! In which there will be 50% more Haruka and Madara! Should be fun.<p> 


	3. Bickering Like Old Ladies

Natsume settled into a more comfortable position as he began to explain. "It seems your father hired an exorcist because you were so ill and the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with you. The silver-haired man, Ichinomiya Kantarou, is the exorcist. The other is a tengu named Haruka... Ichinomiya-san said He used to be called the onikui tengu..."

"Oni...kui?" Tanuma seemed a bit disturbed by the thought of this, "But, why could I see him? Are you sure I'm not dead, Natsume?" He wondered, eyeing his friend.

"Of course you're not dead. Your father saw you, didn't he?" Madara pointed out as he groomed himself, "He's strong enough to make himself visible to regular humans, anyone can see him."

Natsume nodded, "And since he's even stronger than nyanko-sensei, he doesn't have to resort to using a pig-cat form to be seen by humans, right sensei?"

"Yeah, that's abou- HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I can't be seen in my true form because people would be bowled over by my elegance and-"

"You talk a lot." Haruka, who had just entered the room during the commotion, commented as he lifted Madara up by the scruff of his neck and stared at him.

"You put me down! I could eat you for this, you know!" Madara hissed, his stubby legs trying to reach far enough to scratch Haruka.

Haruka smirked, "Well? Bring it on."

It was then that Kantarou decided to step in, "Haruka, don't pick fights with defenseless little kitties. It's cruel... besides, we're finished here. Let's go ho-"

"Wait!" Natsume called between laughter at the verbal abuse of his sensei, "Wait, I need to talk to you..." He glanced over at Tanuma, who's laughter was finally beginning to subside, "How did you do that earlier?" The teen asked, watching as Kantarou sat down with them.

Ever curious, Tanuma wondered, "Do what? Natsume, what happened while I was asleep?"

"A demon was posessing a koi in your pond. It had made a deal with the demon, who agreed to defend the pond from human pollution by masking it with his energy- that's why you and your father couldn't see it before," Kantarou explained, "But of course, there was a price for this. Because you were so close and had a significant amount of spiritual power, the deal was, in return for the defense of the pond, he would devour your soul."

"Haruka-san found scratches on your back. Apparently those scratches were a curse from the demon; marking you as his prey." Natsume added, eyeing Kantarou for approval. He wasn't entirely sure what all had happened, but he was trying to learn, and he knew that Kantarou had the answers.

With a bright smile and a nod, Kantarou praised, "That's right. In addition to being a tag, however, it was feeding sapping your energy. With this mark, he was able to feed from you even when you were away from home, until finally you became so weak you were unable to leave the house. That's why you were such a convenient target, as opposed to Natsume-kun, who would have been preferable as he does have quite a bit more spiritual power than you." With a sigh, he said, "What the koi didn't realize is that he was being used as a vessel. As the demon fed and became stronger, he would be able to mobilize, and eventually, completely abandon the pond."

Tanuma looked down and murmured, "I see..."

"It's alright now though. I've purified the koi, and the demon's gone, so you should be safe. Still, I put up a barrier just to be safe, and if you ever need help, I'm more than willing to come back." Kantarou offered, attempting to comfort the boy.

"Or you could ask Madara, if he could be bothered to get his face out of Nanatsuji's kitchen and do something useful," Haruka reminded, seeming somewhat bored as he leaned against the frame of the bedroom door.

"You're one to talk! You were the one that fed me if you'll recall!" The lucky cat hissed angrily, swatting at Haruka some more.

"I didn't know you were abandoning your duties as a 'bodyguard.'" The tengu countered, glaring down at the squirming creature in his hand.

"So were you! Aren't named tengu supposed to stay with their masters? Huh?"

Haruka threw the cat across the room where he hit the wall with a resounding thud. "Don't compare Kantarou to Natsume. Kantarou knows how to defend himself, and knows I'll come if he calls me. Can you honestly say the same for Natsume?"

Kantarou shot Haruka a look, "Haruka! Mind your manners!" He scolded with an apologetic glance to Natsume.

"No, he's right," Natsume said quietly. "I really don't know how to defend myself. All I can do is run to a shrine..." He looked to the floor with clenched fists, feeling somewhat pathetic, though he wouldn't admit it.

"Well at least you know to do that," Kantarou said gently. "I can teach you, if you want. You too, Tanuma-san. I know you can't see them clearly, but if you sense you're in danger, there are basic things you can do, mantras, to protect yourself. Someone with your level of spiritual energy should be able to handle it fairly well, as long as you don't over-exert yourself."

Tanuma looked up, excited now. "Really?" He'd always wanted to be able to help Natsume, but he couldn't see well enough to do much of anything. At least if he could protect himself, he would be less of a burden, if nothing else. "You'd do that?"

"Of course!" Kantarou replied with a grin, "Right, Haruka?"

"You act like I have a choice," The tengu said quietly, straightening out. "Just don't take too long. Don't think I've forgotten about your deadline."

Kantarou winced, "Yeah, yeah," He said with a sigh. He'd been hoping that this would distract Haruka enough that he would forget, but even if it didn't, he still wanted to give these boys some insight as to just what they were dealing with.

"Deadline?" Natsume asked softly, looking up at Kantarou.

Haruka sighed, "He's an author, for what it's worth. Which really isn't much."

"Haruka!" Kantarou snapped, blushing furiously.

"He writes folklore books and articles about youkai he encounters... But he barely makes his deadlines, and his work isn't popular in the slightest." The tengu added.

"Well it's not my fault people don't like to hear about things they can't see..." Kantarou mumbled, averting his gaze, "And I never get enough time to write, anyway."

"Because you're always doing charity cases like this!" Haruka motioned to the two boys, completely ignoring the fact that they could hear everything he was saying, "This is why you never get anything done, and this is why everything you write sucks! Pay more attention to your real job, and maybe we won't have to recycle tea leaves and eat bread that the bakers are about to throw away because it's so stale!"

"Haruka!" Kantarou took in a deep breath, "Fine then! Haruka, ghost-write my article!"

The tengu blinked, "You think you can just-"

"Now!" He commanded, "This is an order!" Unable to resist an order from his master, Haruka sat down at Tanuma's desk and began writing, using the boy's paper and pens. Grinning proudly, Kantarou turned to the two teens, "Now where was I again?"

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><p>Well, looks like I got the 50% more Haruka at least. Don't worry, he won't be tied up with writing for long. He'll be back at Madara's throat again before you know it =3<p> 


	4. Define: Master

Tanuma and Natsume both stared at Haruka in a stunned silence for a moment before Nztsume finally said, "You know, you don't have to do everything he says like that..."

"Ah, but he does," Kantarou interjected before Haruka could respond. "As his master, the one who named him, he must obey my every command." He glanced over his shoulder at Haruka, adding, "If he resists, he gets stripped of all of his abilities as a tengu as punishment. He tried to refuse me once, that's how I know. It's similar for you, isn't it? If you call the name of one of the youkai written in the Book, they have to obey you, correct?"

Natsume unconsciously clutched his book bag, "How do you know so much about it?"

"Your grandmother was really infamous, you know. I've heard stories about her from various youkai over the years, same as how I heard about you. It's good to stay in the loop about these things, as long as you know that whoever you're talking to, human or youkai, is a reliable source of information. I am a scholar, after all, I need to keep my facts straight." The priest added with a small smile.

"Scholar of _what?"_ Madara asked, glaring up at the man. He hadn't sensed any cruel intentions from him, but after being teased, the lucky cat was a bit more suspicious.

"That's what I want to know." Haruka snorted, though he kept working diligently.

"Haruka..." Kantarou turned to the man and said, "You know, that pond looks pretty deep. I bet I could fish a mackerel out of there."

The tengu froze, horrified, and stared at Kantarou, "You wouldn't..."

"Oh, I think we both know I would," The man replied with a devilish grin, "Let me have my fun and we won't have any problems." Haruka immediately got back to work, which seemed to satisfy Kantarou, who turned his attention to the two boys that seemed to be in a stupor. "We should probably go outside," The priest suggested, "There's more space and less to break out there." With this, he left the room, assuming the two would follow him when their minds caught up to the moment.

Smirking the best a cat can smirk, Madara looked over at Haruka and wondered, "So even the great onikui tengu fears those stupid fish? I thought you'd be above that."

Tanuma tugged on Natsume's arm, utterly confused, and asked, "What are they talking about, mackerel?"

Glancing over at his friend, the teen replied, "I honestly have no idea. The more I learn about youkai, the less I understand."

"Oi! Don't lump me in with the likes of them!" Madara hissed, "Tengu are afraid of mackerel. Just tengu. The rest of us think lunch is lunch and tengu are idiots."

"Oh, is that what you think?" Haruka questioned, turning to look at the other three remaining in the room, though, if looks could kill, he would be the only one left.

Seeming to finally realize that the others weren't following him, Kantarou called, "Natsume-kun! Tanuma-san! Are you coming?"

"Oh, y-yeah! Be right there!" The blonde called back, grateful for the convenient excuse to leave the room. To Tanuma, he said softly, "That face is why you should be happy you can't see youkai. That's the same expression I get about half of the time when I say my name."

Tilting his head slightly, Tanuma asked, "Your name? What about your name makes them angry?"

Wincing at the fact that he'd just given away a clue about his grandmother, Natsume replied, "Who knows? Maybe it brings back bad memories or something." The younger Tanuma opened his mouth to question this, but was cut off by Natsume, who began apologizing to Kantarou. "Sorry it took so long. Sensei and Haruka started talking about mackerel and-"

"HARUKA! You're going to get one stuffed down your throat if you don't get to work!" Kantarou scolded the second story window that he presumed was Tanuma's room. The window slid open suddenly, and Madara was thrown out of it forcefully before it slammed shut again. Sighing, the priest mumbled, "Well at least the distraction's gone," As he watched a very wet and angry lucky cat crawl out of the newly revealed pond.

"Ponta? I didn't know you could swim." Tanuma commented, somewhat amused.

"Hmph! Tengu," Madara snorted in his usual holier-than-thou manner as he shook some of the water off of his fur before walking into the sun to dry.

Rolling his eyes, Kantarou mumbled to Madara, "Yokou-chan doesn't get it either, but having seen him react to mackerel first hand, his fear of the fish is something to be afraid of..." A bit more softly he added, "My poor house," before turning back to the teens and reaching into his yukata. "Alright, the most basic thing you can do is one you might have heard of. Have either of you heard of the tale of Hoichi the Earless?"

Both boys nodded, and Natusume even went as far as to say, "I've used that marking once. Well, it was placed on me twice, but I've only put it on someone else once. Natori-san's servant helped me."

"Hmph. If we're talking about the same Naotori family, it's more like 'slave' than servant." Haruka grumbled, hovering outside the window that Madara had come flying through mere minutes before.

Kantarou opened his mouth to protest, then closed it, eyeing Haruka warily, "You're finished with the article already?"

"Just because you take months to complete an article doesn't mean it's actually difficult." The tengu replied bluntly, landing before his master, "Furthermore, in spite of your accusations, I was writing while you were scolding me. You don't believe me, go see for yourself. I didn't bring it out here because I assumed you'd want me to do something stupid that might damage the paper." Kantarou rolled his eyes and marched back into the house, presumably to look at the article he'd asked Haruka to write.

Somewhat perturbed, Natsume asked, "How can you call Natori-san a slave-driver when your master is so much more demanding?"

Haruka raised a brow, mockingly, "Demanding? Kantarou? You wouldn't understand what a demanding master is like. Besides that, Kantarou allows me the freedom to think for myself and speak for myself. He may ask a lot of favors and get himself into more trouble than most, but for all the complaints I have about him, at least I can say I know he cares about me." Folding his arms across his chest, Haruka leaned back against an old tree, "Can you say the same about Natori? From what I've seen and heard about him as well as his predecessors, they aren't like that at all. They take on tengu for money and power, similar to another family local to this area. Have you heard of the Matoba Clan?"

Suddenly defensive of his annoyingly charming friend, Natsume snapped, "Natori-san's nothing like them! Not at all!"

With a small smile, Haruka prompted, "Really? Is it that he's unlike them? Or is it that your human perspective wants you to believe that someone who befriended you, someone who can see youkai and was kind to you, can't possibly be like them? Think on that. Tell me what makes them so different, aside from their names, and I'll tell you what little I remember of them. Honestly, the fact that I can remember the name from before I was sealed is a bad omen to begin with."

"I heard Natsume-kun yelling. Haruka, are you picking fights?" Kantarou asked as he stepped out of the house, carrying what looked like a sketch book under his arm.

Sending a knowing look to Natsume, Haruka replied simply, "Not at all," Before opening his wings to and lifting off the ground, prepared to fly off somewhere.

"Don't go too far, and come if I call you!" Kantarou called after Haruka. Once the tengu was out of sight, he turned back to the teens and said, "Sorry about that, I got a little carried away. I was making seals for you to practice with," Opening up the book, he pulled out a few pages and handed them to the boys.

"You... weren't looking to make sure the article was alright?" Tanuma asked softly.

Shaking his head, Kantarou replied with a smile, "Of course not! I trust Haruka." The blonde couldn't help but furrow his brow at this response. Not only had he let Haruka go wandering with only a few motherly nags, but he was also openly admitting to trusting the tengu? He'd never once heard Natori say anything like that. Could he be wrong, after all? Were Natori and Matoba really more alike than he had thought to consider?

* * *

><p>I'm sorry, Natori fans, if you exist. I can't stand the guy, quite honestly, and what Haruka said is what I believe. I could be way off-base, and I haven't read the entire series, but, from what I've seen, this is a strong possibility.<p> 


	5. Friends of New Foes of Old

Sorry for the silence. Drama, threats of cancer, you know, the usual. (Still not sure about the cancer part, need another biopsy, but no, I wasn't making fun.) Also plotting as of late. There might be a hint of yaoi after all. Nothing too major, furthest I'd go in this case is platonic sleeping beside one another physically. Verbally not to the point of confession, just implication. I honestly can't see any of them confessing anything aside from Kantarou, but nobody would take him seriously. xD It'd be like a "yeah, I love you too man..." Anyway, I just wanted to warn you that there might be minor BL, but nothing earthshaking.

Now then, on with the aforementioned plotting!

ALSO: Kantarou's blathering about the sutras and mantras is based of off what I glanced at in a Wikipedia article along with... Well, seeing Kantarou in action, so it's probably inaccurate, but I tried. If someone more knowledgeable about sutras, mantras, etc. please, by all means, correct me. I'd be more than happy to make changes to accommodate accuracy.

* * *

><p>"I figured that since Natsume-kun already knows the gist of how it's done, we'll start with the heart sutra and mantra; what was used in the case of Hoichi the Earless." Kantarou explained, holding up a page that he had drawn the symbol on, "The sutra alone is the most basic protection. Drawing it on someone will make whatever you drew on resistant to one attack from a youkai, ayakashi, or demon. Tengu are the exception to this rule due to their nature. For example, some tengu were actually humans transformed into Gods for various reasons."<p>

Naturally curious, armed with this new information, Tanuma asked, "Was Haruka a human then, too? I mean, did you know him?"

Kantarou smiled sadly and shook his head, "That's one of the few things I know for certain about his past. Haruka was never a human. You can tell by the color of his wings, but he's still a tengu. At any rate, he's powerful enough to break right through a seal like that, and he's not the only one, so you have to be careful. Even weaker demons can usually leave a mark, which is why you always recite the mantra when the sutra is complete, rendering an individual virtually undetectable to youkai, ayakashi, demons, and the like unless they bump right into you for several hours."

"There's a mantra?" Natsume wondered, genuinely surprised. He'd assumed that Natori would have taken every precaution during the moon ceremony.

"Of course! Did Natori not teach you about that as well? He should know it by heart, as an exorcist. I don't use it often myself because it's rather ineffective when performed on yourself." When Natusme didn't respond, he continued, "So, first, the sutra. We'll practice on Tanuma-san first to show him how it's done."

"Me? How was this decided? Hey!" Tanuma was suddenly knocked backward by a rotund furball that was always up for annoying the humans. Especially Tanuma, who called him Ponta.

"Don't forget to cover every centimeter!" The lucky cat said, his eyes grinning at the two. It took a while- and a lot of cooperation on Tanuma's part- to finally get him covered in the markings.

"Lucky your father's a priest and knows I'm here; otherwise he's probably be concerned about you being covered in sutras." Kantarou remarked, sitting back when they were done. He'd let Natsume do most of the work, as he was the one who was supposed to be learning, but he'd given input and helped on occasion. "Keep in mind, this won't make you invisible to _humans._ At all. They'll see the markings on you and think you'd gone crazy with tattoos."

"That's reassuring," Tanuma mumbled, looking down at his body, "It doesn't seem too hard though."

"No, it's memorizing the mantra that's difficult. Especially when you've got hundreds of others that are similar memorized already. And, of course, the writing of the sutra over and over takes quite a bit of time." Kantarou handed Natsume a sheet of paper with the mantra written out on it. "You have to go syllable by syllable and make it sound like a steady chant without saying any wrong or losing your pace, before you run out of time to finish."

"How do you know when-"

"Go!" Kantarou encouraged. He was surprised, in truth. Having humans that actually understood what he was talking about around him, just messing around, was kind of fun. Unfortunately, that fun wouldn't last much longer.

When Narsume finally finished his chant, he asked, "How'd I do? Did it work?"

"I'd say so," Madara mumbled, rubbing his eye with his paw, "I can't see him at all."

Kantarou nodded, "Then it worked!"

"That's an unreliable way of testing it." Both Natsume and Tanuma commented in unison.

Kantarou shrugged, "Like I said, this is basic stuff. Once you get a few mantras memorized, things get much easier and more convenient."

"Convenience isn't the issue, it's more- oh, hello. Are you looking for my father?" Kantarou and Natsume followed Tanuma's gaze to three painfully familiar individuals. Familiar to Kantarou, at least.

"Minamoto..." He growled under his breath, getting to his feet, "You set this up?"

"Set what up? We came here on a rumor about a book, which led to a rumor about you. Where is he?" A man in full military wear asked, stepping closer to the boys.

"This isn't what we came here for. Let's just get the book before this idiot finds it first!" Ibaragi grumbled, stepping up behind him in heels that were by no means suited to forest terrain.

It didn't take long for Natsume to figure out that they were talking about the Book of Friends, and took even less time for Madara to make the same assumption.

"I don't know what book you're talking about," Kantarou bluffed, "I came to aide a priest's son, and I came alone!"

"Lies!" Ibaragi hissed, "Does your mouth ever speak the truth? Where is it? Where is the Book of Friends?"

Kantarou sighed, still doing his best to keep the fact that Haruka was with him a secret. "I told you; I don't know. Are you finished? I'm rather busy-" He was suddenly ensnared in vines and pinned to a tree, barely allowed enough room to breathe.

"Kantarou!" Natsume got up to help, but was pulled back down by Madara. They couldn't risk the book being noticed, no matter what.

Minamoto smirked, "That's more like it. Now then, tell us where the demon-eater is..." As an afterthought, he added, "and where we can find the book."

Once he got close enough, Kantarou spat in his face, causing the vines to tighten around him. Gasping for air, he maintained his story, "Haruka... isn't here... neither is the book... I looked..."

"Lies!" Ibaragi accused. the vines growing ever tighter around him. "You will take us to the book!"

* * *

><p>Hello there annoying and versatile antagonists! :p<p> 


	6. Lose Lose Situation

"I'll do no such thing!" Kantarou resisted, the vines tightening ever more. There was a deafening crack, and he bit back a scream as he felt his right arm snap near the shoulder. Tears were in his eyes now as he continued to struggle for breath.

"Stop it! You're killing him!" (A/N: Sound familiar?) Natsume cried, unable to just sit back and watch any longer. He shoved his bag into Tanuma's arms and ran toward the vines, trying to pull them off, but he was tossed aside almost instantly by Minamoto.

Kantarou forced a smile, "I'm fine, really. They can't kill me. If I die, my pact with Haruka will never be broken."

"Why won't you call for him? Don't you want this pain to end?" Minamoto asked, joining Ibaragi in tormenting him by breaking a finger that wasn't completely covered in demonic vines.

"I can take it." Kantarou challenged, biting back another scream as his finger was broken. "I won't let you have him."

"It's useless. We can't kill him, and he's determined to keep his mouth shut." Ibaragi noted, then glanced to Natsume, "But we have some more... disposable... prey here." More vines wrapped Natsume in a deadly embrace.

Satisfied, Minamoto remarked, "There you have it. Call for him or we'll dispose of the kid."

Luckily, Madara had been far enough to avoid the vines, but he wasn't able to avoid what he couldn't see. He was lifted off the ground by a force invisible to him and carried swiftly to the edge of the property, where trimmed grass met brambles and foliage. "The other one's escaping." Watanabe pointed out to Ibaragi, who stood behind him.

"Other one? What other one?" Fortunately for Tanuma, the mantra seemed to be working, even against a demon as powerful as her.

"Never mind him! We have enough bait here. We'll be through by the time authorities arrive." Minamoto snapped, holding his blade to Natsume's throat to prove his point.

Kantarou tried to squirm, but had so little room in the vine's clutches that he found himself completely immobilized. "Let him go!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile<p>

"Where are you going?" Madara asked, calming down some once he'd realized that it was Tanuma carrying him- and that he was in the bag holding the Book of Friends.

"We have to find Haruka-san, Ponta!" The disembodied voice replied, his breathing obviously labored.

"You honestly think you're going to find a tengu by running around in the woods? Put me down!" Madara snapped. Once on the ground, he transformed into his ayakashi state.

"Ponta? I can't see you..."

Using the bag as a reference, Madara lifted the invisible person gently, turning so the boy could feel the fur on his back, as it was useless to even attempt to talk to him.

"Oh, I get it! You're going to carry me?" Tanuma clambered up on Madara's back, holding onto him tightly before the two took off. It didn't take long to find Haruka, who was still airborne, gazing down at a shrine where a few kids had gathered for a picnic.

"Haruka-san!" Tanuma called out repeatedly the second he was able to make out the human body and wings in the distance.

The tengu turned to them and raised a brow, "I thought you said you can't see youkai."

"I can't. Ponta can't see me, either."

Haruka was silent for a moment, absorbing this, "Right, that mantra... Kantarou... Where is Kantarou?"

"At my house... These two guys in fatigues and this girl showed up, and then the ground started attacking them, and- ... Haruka-san?" Somehow, without either of them noticing, Haruka had slipped past them. There could be only one... Well, three, people who fit that description. Watanabe, Ibaragi, and Minamoto.

* * *

><p>Back to Kantarou and Natsume<p>

"Call for and release the demon eater and this will all go away," Minamoto leaned closer to Natsume, "Why don't you tell him? You don't want to die, do you?"

Kantarou struggled internally, not sure what he should do. He didn't want to call for Haruka, but he didn't want to get Natsume hurt- or worse- either. Just as he opened his mouth to call for Haruka, a lightning bolt came down from the heavens and struck just a hair to the left of Minamoto. "So you've come!" Minamoto grinned as all eyes turned to the skies to see Haruka hovering above them.

"Release them! I'm the one you're after." Haruka demanded, lowering to the ground, landing in front of Kantarou.

"You shouldn't have come..." Kantarou muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Idiot." Haruka hissed back, clearly angry with the other. "Release them!" He repeated.

"Come now, we haven't had any fun yet. How about this; you convince your master to break the name contract, and we'll let him go." Minamoto suggested, stepping closer.

Wheezing, Kantarou snapped, "Over my dead body!"

"So you'd rather this boy dies, instead?" Minamoto threatened, pointing to Natsume with his sword. After a few moments of relative silence, he prompted, "Well? What will it be? The demon eater or this child?" It was then that he noticed that he hadn't seen Kantarou's eyes open since he'd last spoken, and shortly after realizing this, Kantarou's head drooped forward, facing the ground. Unable to get close with Haruka in the way, he snapped at Ibaragi, "You killed him?"

Ibaragi scoffed, "Humans are so weak. He isn't dead; just unconscious."

"Well he's no good to us that way." Minamoto snarled as Ibaragi withdrew the vines from Kantarou, allowing him to fall to the ground. At least, he would have if Haruka hadn't been there to catch him. "I guess we'll table this for now, demon-eater. When your master wakes up, tell him that if he wants this child to return safely, he'll break your contract. We'll take _good_ care of him until then." Haruka glared at Minamoto, but said nothing. Kantarou needed medical attention, and that couldn't be ignored. For now, he'd just have to accept these conditions. He watched as Ibaragi used her powers to bind Natsume and take him away with them.

Once they were alone, he gently shook Kantarou, "Oi, Kantarou! Get up!"

"What happened? Where's Natsume?" Tanuma asked, running to them. He and Madara had just gotten back to the scene and missed everything.

"They took him as a hostage... I'll explain later. Right now, I need to get Kantarou to a doctor." Haruka stated, lifting his lifeless master in his arms and standing.

It took a moment for Tanuma to register this information before he said, "Right, I'll go call an ambulance!"

"Don't bother. It would take too long for it to get here. I'll bring him there myself." Haruka muttered, spreading his wings. "Just give me a direction."

* * *

><p>Poor Kan-chan. Also, for those of you who don't remember, the "you're killing him!" thing was similar to what Youko said when, depending if you watched or read, Haruka was being druggedwhipped by Ibaragi and friends. Ibaragi said something along the lines of, "This is nothing to the demon-eating tengu."


	7. Planning Ahead

To avoid attracting attention, Haruka landed near the rear of the parking lot, which was fairly quiet, and simply carried Kantarou the rest of the way. Kantarou's eyes fluttered open for a moment, just long enough to see the tengu's face. "Haru...ka?"

Somewhat surprised at the sound of his master's voice, he said, "Just wait a little longer. We're almost there."

Kantarou didn't have the chance to reply to this before he faded back into his prior unconscious state, but while he was awake, the fact that he was in Haruka's arms rather than Ibaragi's vines was naturally comforting. Not particularly accustomed to dealing with hospital staff, Haruka walked into the lobby and looked around, watching to see what he was supposed to do. Thankfully, Tanuma came in shortly after and guided him to the main desk. "Our friend got in a... He fell out of a tree." The teen told the woman behind the counter, doing his best to come up with a suitable lie.

"What's his name?" The woman asked, not even bothering to look up.

"Ichinomiya Kantarou." Haruka replied, "Where do I put him?"

Apparently, that question got her attention. She glanced up at them, and snickered, "Which one of you is Ichinomiya-san?" She asked, looking from Kantarou to Tanuma. Of course Kantarou looked like he'd lost a fight- which he did, but then, Tanuma was covered in sutras from their earlier practicing.

Somewhat annoyed by the reminder of just how unknown Kantarou was as both an author and exorcist, Haruka decided to use the ever-useful womanizing tactics Youko had taught him. Forcing a gentle smile and soft voice, he said, "Kantarou is right here, miss. He seems to be unconscious from the fall, so I carried him here. I tried to tell him that he'd get hurt, but I'm afraid he, like most others, simply refuse to listen to me." He looked down and away from her as if he'd said something that made him sad, though he was really just trying to hasten the process with deception.

The woman's face flushed profusely as the technique did the trick, "I-I'll call for a stretcher!" With this, she took off down the hall.

"Wow, Haruka-san, you really got her to move!" Tanuma remarked, rather impressed.

"Youko taught me how to deal with women." Haruka muttered vaguely as he turned to meet the stretcher rolling towards them. "Can you stay with him for a while? There's something I need to take care of before Kantarou wakes up. I'll return before sundown."

"I can, but-" Tanuma sighed as he watched Haruka leave before returning his attention to the doctors who were wheeling him away. He tried to follow, but was told to wait for results in the waiting room. Rather than cause a scene, he complied. "Man, that guy's really something else."

"Tengu are a different breed," Madara agreed from his hiding place inside of Natsume's bag. He had carried Tanuma to the hospital in order to at least attempt to keep up with Haruka. "Especially that one."

* * *

><p>Haruka's Preemptive Plan<p>

"Sugino." Haruka called from his perch on a high branch of a tree in the mountains of Sugino Village.

Sugino, who had apparently been collecting what he and Muu-chan would call 'dinner,' looked up when he heard his name. "Demon eater..." Suddenly, he seemed nervous and began peeking behind bushes and trees, anything that was big enough to hide a human.

"Kantarou isn't here. In fact, that's the reason I'm here. I'm sparing you the annoyance of dealing with him directly." Haruka stated, hoping that this knowledge would make Sugino more inclined to cooperate.

Returning his attention to Haruka, the former priest asked, "Sparing me? How generous. I'm surprised he let you off the leash long enough to come here."

"He's in no state to protest. He was attacked by Douji Ibaragi and would likely be dead if not for our contract." The tengu explained, coming to the ground to meet Sugino at eye-level.

"You should have left him for dead. Any demon, even some youkai for that matter, who got close enough to smell him would make a nice meal out of him." Sugino mumbled.

"I didn't come here for a lecture. This is bigger than your petty jealousy. Surely you know of the Book of Friends?"

Sugino seemed to think for a moment before he replied, "I think I heard of something like that once. A story the villagers used to tell. It's a collection of names of youkai, correct?"

"The owner of the Book of Friends died quite some time ago." Haruka stated, but was cut off by Sugino before he could continue.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that, but I don't see what it has to do with-"

"Her grandson, Natsume Takashi inherited the Book, along with her spiritual powers." Haruka finished, "He was taken by Douji Ibaragi as a hostage, so before Kantarou wakes up and demands that we come for you to find him, I'm asking you to do it now and get it over with."

"Well, what an obedient little dog you are, following your master's commands before he makes them." Sugino teased. Haruka opened his mouth to protest, but he held up his hand, "As a favor to you, demon eater, I will accept your request to locate the boy, however, I won't get involved with Ibaragi herself."

"I don't expect you to," Haruka responded, spreading his wings and lifting off the ground, "Provided you don't get caught yourself." With this said, he took off, leaving Sugino to pout by himself at the implication of weakness.

* * *

><p>This one was shorter, mostly because I had this "YOU'RE DOIN' IT WRONG!" voice in the back of my head. Haruka seemed too serious, which is funny, because Haruka isn't much of a joker. What do you think?<p>

Also, to anyone who's read my other fic "Against Your Word," you may have noticed a similarity- I like breaking the arms of my favorite characters. Yes, that sounds horrible, but there's a reason. See, for about 6 consecutive years (thankfully not anymore) I spent day in and day out with my right arm occupied by a cane, to the point where it became difficult to imagine characters with two functional arms. Why not break their leg and give them a cane? Because wheelchairs. You know Mello would find a goon to push Matt around, and you know Haruka would carry Kantarou around (whether he wanted to or not.) I didn't have anyone to push (or carry) me around, so I didn't really use a wheelchair unless I had to. Therefore, cane. Learning to do everything with my left arm (at least while walking.)

TL;DR- A broken arm is my way of saying, "I love this one the most."


	8. Good Morning Disaster

Once again in the painfully unfamiliar hospital setting, Haruka looked around and noticed Tanuma, who seemed to be falling asleep, in one of the waiting room's chairs. "Tanuma." He said to get the boy's attention, "Where's Kantarou?"

Snapped out of a daze by the sound of his name, he replied, "They didn't tell me, they just said to wait out here and-"

"Excuse me," A clearly stressed and overworked doctor interrupted, "Would either of you happen to be Haruka-san? Ichinomiya-san is refusing treatment, and we had to restrain him, but he keeps calling for 'Haruka.'"

Haruka sighed, "You should have tied him down from the start. Where is he?"

The doctor led them part of the way to Kantarou's room- he let them find their way as soon as his screaming was audible. The second he saw the tengu, Kantarou, who was about to be sedated for the sake of the other patients, finally seemed to relax, "Haruka! There you are! I woke up and I was all alone and then they tied me down and- Haruka! Are you listening to me?"

"Are you listening to yourself? You're in a hospital and you tried to run off screaming my name like a madman. Have you forgotten the reason you're here?" Haruka prompted, which quieted Kantarou for the time being.

Once Kantarou was silenced, the attending physician asked Haruka, "When he was admitted, you said he fell out of a tree, correct?"

"Yes, that's right," Tanuma spoke up, trying to keep his little lie alive. "Is he going to be alright?"

The doctor shook his head, "It's a miracle he made it to the hospital. That 'tree' he fell out of created a fracture in his arm that breaks through the skin, as well as one on his middle finger, and somehow managed to break three ribs, bending them inward... Are you sure he wasn't attacked by a boa constrictor?"

"None of us own pet snakes..." Tanuma replied lamely.

"When he tried to get up, he nearly punctured his left lung, which is why we had to restrain him. Unfortunately there isn't much we can do here. Because it isn't flail chest and surgery might cause even further complications, we can't get clearance for surgery. Just rest as much as possible and be extremely careful if you have to move. It should heal in about six weeks. As for the arm, your cast will do most of the immobilization for you, but you have to be careful not to turn it or you'll risk twisting the bone. The splint is sufficient for your finger as well." The doctor finished, "Now that he has someone to take him, he's clear to go home. Just make sure he rests and doesn't climb any more trees. I'll send a nurse with the discharge papers." With this said, the doctor left the three (four, including Madara,) in relative silence.

Reaching with his left arm for the bag hanging from Tanuma's shoulder, he asked, "Where's Natsume-kun?"

"Being held hostage in exchange for our contract." Haruka replied, taking the bag from Tanuma and placing it on the bed beside his master.

Attempting to sit up, but meeting resistance from the restraints, Kantarou argued, "We have to find him and-"

"Ichinomiya-san?" One of the nurses poked her head in and smiled, "Are you ready to go home?" She brought some paperwork over to Haruka, the only one of the three that resembled a responsible adult, and had him fill out and sign a few places (which wasn't easy as she kept prompting him for a last name,) until finally the three were leaving.

Once in the parking lot, where Haruka lifted Kantarou out of the wheelchair to carry him instead, he said, "Sugino is looking for Natsume."

"Haruka..." Kantarou smiled proudly, happy that the demon eater had not only thought about him and what he would want, but had acted on it. Maybe there was a chance for his childhood dream after all. He wasn't about to push his luck by commenting on it, however. Instead, he looked to Tanuma, "Tanuma-san, I'm sorry, but is there any way you can disguise Natsume-kun's disappearance?"

"Well, school won't be a problem since it's summer, but I don't know what to tell Shigeru-san and Touko-san..."

Kantarou looked a bit sad as he asked, "Are those his parents?"

"No, his parents are both deceased... I don't know much about it myself, Natsume doesn't like to talk about his childhood, but supposedly he got passed around between family members. They're distantly related, but they care for him like he's their own, and he doesn't want to lose that, so he doesn't want them to know that he can see youkai." Tanuma explained, though it was difficult to explain things he didn't know much about himself.

After a few moments of silence, Kantarou offered, "I'll speak with them. The current situation is partially my fault, anyway... Do you think you could show us the way to their home?"

* * *

><p>Important AN: The rest of this chapter will be Kantarou and Tanuma going to Natsume's house and talking to Touko and Shigeru- (mostly) predictable stuff that some people (myself included) might find entertaining to read. If you're not interested in it, it's okay to skip to the next chapter- hence the notice. My feelings will not be hurt. :p

* * *

><p>Tanuma led the way to the Fujiwara's home and knocked on the door after insisting that he go with Kantarou and Haruka. He felt it was his responsibility to ensure that his friend's secret remain a secret. "Tanuma-san? What a surprise! I'm sorry, but Takashi-kun went out a few hours ago and hasn't come home yet."<p>

"I know," The teen responded awkwardly, "That's actually what we're here to talk to you about,"

"Hello, Fujiwara-san," Kantarou greeted from Haruka's arms. "Do you have a moment?"

Noticing the shape that Kantarou was in, the woman seemed a bit stunned, "Oh goodness, are you alright? Please, come in!"

Once everyone was settled at the table, aside from Haruka, who had invited himself to go back outside once Kantarou was seated, Kantarou introduced himself. "My name is Ichinomiya Kantarou, a folklore author and scholar. On the side, I do exorcisms of youkai and demons." He glanced over to Tanuma, "Which is why I came in the first place. Tanuma-san's father called me in due to his son's waning health and having no where else to turn. Natsume-kun showed us the way to their home when we got a bit off track at Nanatsuji's. As it turns out, a demon was possessing a koi in their back yard, and this demon was essentially devouring Tanuma-san's soul."

The couple seemed rather disturbed by this news, but Tanuma quickly assured them, "I'm fine now! Ichinomiya-san and Haruka-san took care of everything."

"Unfortunately, in doing so, we stirred up a far more powerful, dangerous, and infamous demon, Douji Ibaragi, who spirited Natsume-kun away and left me like this in the process. He's being held hostage because I blacked out."

"He's being held hostage by a demon?" Shigeru questioned, raising his voice a bit.

"Haruka's already asked someone to look for him... As soon as we know where he is, we'll get him back, I promise." Kantarou stated firmly. In spite of his condition, his stubborn attitude stood true.

Attempting to help Kantarou's cause, Tanuma added, "I know this all sounds asinine, but... Ichinomiya-san knows what he's talking about. I couldn't really see what was happening, and I'm sure Natsume couldn't either, but, I mean, a pond appeared in my back yard out of no where because of what he did with that koi-"

"Purified," Kantarou supplied, "I purified the koi, expelled the demon, which revealed the pond. Afterwards, I was teaching Natsume-kun and Tanuma-san basic protection techniques, which is why Tanuma-san is covered in sutras. Unfortunately, it seems I hung around a bit too long, and Douji Ibaragi showed up."

Rather skeptical but keeping an open mind, Touko asked, "Why is this Ibaragi person after you?"

"Demon," Haruka corrected as he walked back inside. He'd been hoping that Kantarou was finished with the conversation so they could go home, but perhaps he could at least help to hasten the process. "It's a complicated situation, but essentially, Ibaragi is currently after our contract." Of course he wasn't foolish enough to mention the Book of Friends. He couldn't expect humans to understand or know of it, anyway.

Upon receiving several questioning glances, Kantarou forced a smile, "Haruka is better known by his old nickname, the oni-kui tengu. By naming him 'Haruka,' I formed a contract with him. I'll spare you the details, but essentially, he has to follow my commands, and part of the reason they're angry with me is because I don't allow him to eat demons."

Still uncertain, Shigeru asked, "Then why did they take Takashi-kun instead of you?"

"If Kantarou dies before breaking our contract, I'll be bound by it into eternity. All of his rules will apply to me until the day I die." Haruka explained, a bit impatient.

Kantarou sighed, "Unfortunately, Natsume-kun is of no use to them, so killing him would be no big deal. They're holding him hostage to say 'unless you want this innocent child to die, give it up.' We're working on locating them for right now, but don't worry, we'll definitely get him back safe and sound."

Doing his best to support Kantarou, Tanuma added, "For what it's worth, I really trust Ichinomiya-san. I just met him today, but he's already saved my life twice. I have faith that he'll bring Natsume back alright."

* * *

><p>So you all know, the fact that I did the whole "feel free to skip" thing is really getting on my nerves now because... Demon... and... Aaaargh! Don't worry though- you're not going to miss my planning, I just have to put it off. Which is annoying me. ALSO- for those of you who are bothering to read this right now, I'll let you in on a little secret~ (soon to be not so secret) the character lineup is about to grow. A lot. Youko, Rosalie, (not Suzu because I prefer the manga wherein she does not exist because she's annoying) possibly Hasumi- if only to rage about Rosalie running off to Kantarou's house- on the Tactics end, and Natori (unfortunately), Hiiragi, Sasada, and Taki... Possibly some of Natsume's youkai friends, but I'm not entirely sure about that.<p> 


	9. They Suck at Playing Damsel in Distress

When the Fujiwaras seemed reassured by Tanuma's faith in Kantarou, the four of them (including Madara who's been uncharacteristically quiet throughout all this) left the couple. Once outside, Kantarou exchanged contact information with Tanuma and was carried home by Haruka. "Youko-chan! We're home!" Kantarou called as he attempted unsuccessfully to open the door with his foot.

It wasn't long before the door was slammed open by a very agitated kitsune. "Kan-chan! Where have you been? You said you'd be home by dinner and you've got a manuscript to be writing, and Haruka-chan was supposed to-" She was silenced when she finally noticed that Haruka was carrying Kantarou. "To... Kan-chan! What happened to you?" Youko fretted, hastily moving out of the doorway.

"Sorry, Youko-chan. I got a bit distracted, and then Douji Ibaragi showed up and-"

"Ibaragi? Are you alright? What happened?" Naturally worried about her master, the kitsune came closer to inspect the damage.

Ignoring the fact that the two were having a conversation, Haruka began to carry Kantarou to his room. "I was- hey! Haruka! What are you doing? We're having a conversation here!"

"I'm not a hammock, and you're heavy. You can talk from bed." The tengu mumbled before gingerly setting Kantarou down.

Kantarou pouted for a moment, but knew he couldn't really complain after all that Haruka had done for him that day. "I was helping teach some new friends how to do basic spells, and then Ibaragi, Minamoto, and Watanabe showed up. I got pinned to a tree by vines when I refused to call for Haruka or tell them where the Book of Friends is."

"Book of Friends? You were ranting about that before you left... Did you find it?" Youko questioned, sitting beside her master.

"Sure did!" Kantarou grinned proudly, grabbing the bag Haruka had left beside his bed. Suddenly, something moved within the bag, causing him to recoil, a bit startled... At least until Madara crawled out of it. "Madara-sama! I didn't know you were in there."

"That's the point of hiding," Madara retorted, grooming himself.

"Kan-chan, what's with the tanuki?" Youko asked, staring down at the lucky cat.

"I am not a tanuki!" Madara hissed.

"Madara-sama was sealed in a lucky cat statue, so he usually assumes it's form. He's the bodyguard of the owner of the Book of Friends." Kantarou explained. "I didn't steal it or anything, I'm just keeping watch over it for now."

"Riiiight." Youko rolled her eyes a bit, not believing her master. She doubted he was above stealing something like the Book of Friends.

"Sheesh, why don't you guys ever trust me? I didn't steal it! Ibaragi is holding the owner hostage in exchange for my contract with Haruka." Youko softened up a bit at this, knowing how important Haruka was to Kantarou. "I'm watching over it until we get him back. It'd be bad if it fell into the wrong hands."

"And this moron is obviously incompetent," Haruka added, lifting Madara by the scruff of his neck.

"You're one to talk, demon-eater! Where were you when your master was in danger, hmm? And you're bound to him by a contract! I have nothing of the sort with Natsume!" The proud ayakashi argued.

"I had permission to leave, and he didn't call for me. I don't have to be attached to his hip all of the time. Like I said, Kantarou knows how to take care of himself and knows he'll come if I call for him, so I don't need to babysit him constantly." Haruka responded coldly.

"He's right, it's my own fault for being stubborn and not calling for help, but we'll get Natsume back and everything'll be normal again." Kantarou said with a small smile that quickly turned into a confused frown when Haruka rested his free hand on Kantarou's forehead.

With a sigh, the tengu scolded, "Speaking of stubborn, stop pretending everything's fine. You're burning up from contact with that demonic koi and Ibaragi."

"It's nothing, really!" Kantarou argued, forcing his face to brighten. He didn't want Youko and Haruka to have to worry about any other problems with him. Right now, they needed to be concerned about Natsume.

"Kan-chan! You should have said something!" Youko snapped, leaving the room to get him some water.

With a sigh, the priest closed his eyes, "I'm sorry, Haruka... But I've had about enough of feeling useless, and I don't want to put more pressure on you and Youko-chan to take care of me."

"Haven't I told you? You don't have to put on your brave face for us. It's only more frustrating when we find out later that you were hiding things like this fever from us." Haruka mumbled, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Yeah," Kantarou smiled a bit, his breathing a bit more labored than before. "So you asked Sugino-sama to look for Natsume?"

"He more or less agreed when I mentioned that the Book of Friends was involved. I'm curious to see if his name is in there." The tengu replied, looking down at his master.

"I wouldn't be surprised, if Muu-chan was involved," Kantarou chuckled a bit as he said this, though he regretted it when more pain wracked through his body.

As if he could sense the other's pain, Haruka scolded, "Don't laugh, you'll hurt yourself."

Finally, Youko returned to the room with a basin and glass of water along with a washcloth. "Honestly, Kan-chan, you've got to be the worst patient ever." She remarked, agreeing with Haruka's prior statement as she sat down and wrung the washcloth out over the basin.

Not particularly in the mood for her motherly nags, Kantarou deadpanned, "Youko, go sweep outside."

"Okay!" Youko replied with a smile, though she almost instantly cursed herself for the need to obey when her master called her name. "Haruka, keep an eye on him?" She pleaded from the door, knowing it was unlikely that Kantarou would order him away. When she received a dismissive wave of the hand from her fellow youkai, she decided she didn't have much choice in the matter and went out to sweep as she was told.

* * *

><p>But What About Natsume?<p>

"You really think he'll fall for this?" Minamoto wondered aloud, walking around their captive, who had since been tied to a chair in the center of a broad living room, far from any hopes of escape.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Watanabe agreed, watching Raiko pace about.

In an attempt to defend her actions, Ibaragi snapped, "Of course he'll come! He was with the child to begin with, that means there's got to be something special about him that that man wants."

"Hmm..." Minamoto studied Natsume, who was silently struggling with the ropes, though it proved futile. "He does have a significant amount of spiritual energy, but it's so raw... I don't think he could make use of it." He prodded the teen with the sheath of his sword, "Oi, stop struggling. It's useless. Between the spells I cast on it and Ibaragi's abilities, you aren't going anywhere." He tilted his head to the side in a rather cocky manner as he eyed the boy, who finally looked up at him. "What are you called?"

Natsume opened his mouth to respond honestly, when he realized that it would probably be a horrible idea. If they already knew so much about the Book of Friends, they might even know what his grandmother had looked like. According to the reactions of youkai to his face, he was fairly certain they had similar characteristics. "Maeda Rin." He replied, making up a random name that sounded good to him.

Minamoto burst into laughter, "'Rin,' you say? Oh, that is beautiful. Let me guess- were you trying to steal the demon eater?"

"Was I what?" Natsume seemed rather confused by this, naturally. How could he know the former name of a man who couldn't remember it himself? "I don't know what you're talking about. I just met them a few hours before you showed up."

Intrigued, the man asked, "Is that so? Tell me, what relation do you have to the Book of Friends?"

"To the...?" Natsume seemed startled, disturbed, and highly uncomfortable with this new topic, "I don't know what you're talking about." He said, his voice cracking a bit.

"Oh? Perhaps we have stumbled upon something useful after all..." Ibaragi murmured with a sadistic grin as she stepped closer to the captive teen.

* * *

><p>Way to keep your mouth shut like a good damsel in distress, Natsume. n.n; Increased character lineup starting in the next chapter with: SO-AND-SO! What, you really think I'd give that away? I have a deep love of cliffhangers, that's all you're getting from me. :p<p>

Oh, oh, and- for those of you who are Tactics fans, I'm starting a new fic that's just Tactics... Wherein Kantarou finds a baby tengu. Nothing more needs to be said. Just picture that and you'll see where I'm going with this. Little youkai fanboy.


	10. I REALLY Hate You

Sugino

"I honestly don't know what you and the demon eater see in that guy," Sugino commented to his beloved Muu-chan who was helping him scope out yet another suspicious location. "I mean he-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Turning their heads toward the voice, the two observed as a bright light shone and a woman with a demonic aura was thrown through the wall of the building.

"Yikes," The mountain god murmured, whistling, "Now I see why they're so concerned about getting this kid back. Than energy..." He shook his head, "I think we found our hideout, Muu-chan. Let's get outta here."

* * *

><p>Natsume<p>

As the demonic woman stepped closer to him, Natsume focused all of his energy on one defensive action that he really wasn't sure would work. After all, he usually _punched_ or _kicked_ his opponents, not headbutted. "I said... GET AWAY FROM ME!" He snapped as she finally came within range. He lunged forward with all his might, headbutting the woman and then falling to the ground, still completely unable to move.

Minamoto whistled, impressed, "No doubt about it, they've got to be related," He sighed and moved to pick up the teen's chair, not in the slightest bit afraid of his attacks, as he was human. "That answers several questions... The last one is, where's the Book? Watanabe, search him." That was the last thing Natsume heard before succumbing to a deep sleep brought about by the stresses of the day topped off by the attack that had taken more out of him than intended.

* * *

><p>Ichinomiya Residence<p>

"Kan-chan, you have to take your medicine or you won't feel any better!" Youko demanded for the tenth time that day.

"But it's bitter," Kantarou moaned, "I don't like it."

"I didn't ask if you liked it, just-"

Haruka, who had been silently observing their interaction from the doorway, turned his head, "Youko, I think somebody's at the door."

"So answer it!" The annoyed kitsune snapped, "What am I, your-"

"Youko-chan~" Kantarou genuinely smiled for the first time since he'd gotten home, "Go answer the door and take care of our guest."

"Okay!" Youko bounded off to answer the door, silently cursing herself for her inability to defy Kantarou.

With a sigh, Haruka took Youko's place beside Kantarou, and instantly, the man began talking, happy that the tengu seemed concerned about him. "It's alright Haruka, I don't need the- mmphugh!" He was silenced when the pill that Youko had been so gently trying to coax him into taking was forced into the back of his mouth.

"That's for the headache, and for lying." Haruka warned, standing up, "Quit whining and try to get better." With this said, he returned to the doorway and peered into the kitchen, ignoring his master as he choked on the pill. Youko was standing with Tanuma, the young man they'd been with earlier, and an older man who, like Natsume and Kantarou, had a significant amount of spiritual energy.

"I'm sorry, but Kan-chan isn't seeing any visitors right now, he's-"

"Youko," Haruka called as he came up behind her, "That's Tanuma, the other boy Kantarou was so eager to help."

She looked up at her fellow youkai with a nod of recognition, "I'll let you talk to them then, I'm going to go see if Kan-chan took his pill yet."

When she left, Haruka caught the elder man's scent, and a wave of realization washed over him, "Out. Get out." He growled, glaring at the man.

"What? But I've only just arrived! That's no way to treat a guest, demon-eater." None other than Shuichi Naotori teased as he removed his hat with a grin. "So the rumors are true, then, you have succumbed to a human."

"That's none of your concern." The tengu replied, turning his attention from Naotori to Tanuma, "Why did you bring him?"

Tanuma seemed nervous, locked under Haruka's seething glare, "I- he was worried about Natsume."

"It's already being taken care of."

"Hey demon-eater, we found-" Sugino, who had invited himself in, came up behind Natori and wrinkled his nose as if he'd smelled something most foul. "So this is the kind of company Kantarou keeps? Why do you hang around again?"

Annoyed with the jab at his master, Haruka snapped, "He was just leaving."

"No I wasn't; I just got here." Naotori repeated, turning to look at Sugino, "Wow, it's just a congregation of youkai here!"

"What's all the ruckus? I'm trying to sleep." Kantarou mumbled, limping into his kitchen. (A/N: He ordered Youko to stay put until further notice)

"You must be Kantarou Ichinomiya," Naotori greeted, trying to look around Haruka who was now trying to push him out the door.

Kantarou sighed, "Haruka, stop pushing. It's rude." He ordered, adding, "Come here and hold me up." Deciding that he had no choice, Haruka retreated to his master's side and did as he was told. "You must be Shuichi Naotori. I've heard a lot about you. Albeit not many good things..." Noticing Sugino, he asked, "Did you find anything, Sugino-sama?"

"I did." The tengu grumbled bitterly, "But I'll not speak in front of your... _company_."

"It can't be helped," Kantarou muttered, "I don't like this any more than you do, but there's no way I can take on Ibaragi in my current condition."

Blinking, Haruka stared at his master in disbelief, "You... You planned this?! You planned to have him come here?"_  
><em>

Kantarou looked up at his subordinate tengu sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Haruka, but what else can I do? We can't very well leave Natsume-kun there... For his sake, and for the sake of the Book, we'll all have to grit our teeth and try to get along for now."

"Who's gritting their teeth? I'm pleased to meet you, Ichinomiya-sensei."

Kantarou's eyes narrowed as he glared at Natori, "You're a sick, vile individual; your tactics are cruel and unusual and the thought of working alongside you makes me ill. Your entire family is a disgrace to humanity and exorcists, and you disgust me."

"Um, wow. Is this what you call getting along?" Sugino chided, attempting to bring peace. Though he wasn't a fan of humans, particularly these two individuals, he really didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of an exorcist's duel. That just spelled disaster. Kantarou, however, was having none of this.

"If not for Natsume, I would likely order Haruka to kill you in cold blood here and now." He added, which earned stares from everyone in the room.

"Kantarou? That's not like you..." Haruka commented, surprised at his master's words, though he wasn't in objection to this proposition.

Hurting from standing upright for so long, Kantarou leaned into the tengu and added to Natori, "I might not be much of a threat to you now, but piss me off enough and it'll be the end of you. Haruka is mine, you hear? So stop ogling him like he's your last meal." Malice was nearly visibly dripping from his words as he said this. Nobody else in the room had seem to notice the interest Natori had taken in the tengu, but when attention was drawn to him, it was made apparent that he was thinking of something while staring at the tengu. "I'd rather die with his name than allow the likes of you to get your filthy paws on him."

Adjusting his glasses and looking away from Kantarou, Natori defended, "I was just thinking how strange it is that he puts up with you."

Kantarou ignored this petty jab and said, directing his attention to Tanuma, "Thank you for coming to visit us, Tanuma-san. You're welcome in my home any time. I'm just sorry it was under such negative circumstances."

Feeling rather intimidated after Kantarou's threats, even though they hadn't been meant for him, Tanuma averted his gaze, "Well... I... I wasn't sure if I should bring Natori-san, after what Haruka-san said..."

"No, no, you did the right thing!" Kantarou assured him, suddenly cheery, "You're just trying to help Natsume-kun, right? He's lucky to have friends like you."

"If that's how you feel, you won't be upset that we want to help too, will you?" A voice that was only familiar to Tanuma came from the entryway as Sasada and Taki peered inside, smiling.

"Sasada-san! Taki-chan!" Tanuma stared at them, clearly surprised to see them.

"Oh? You didn't know they were following us? I sensed one of them on the train, but I thought you knew..." Natori commented, looking at them.

Kantarou was taken aback by the sight of two attractive real live high school girls in his home. Seeming to be distracted by this, he said, "No, no, of course not! Youko-chan, get the lovely ladies some tea, will you?"

"Pervert." Haruka mumbled, surprised that he was actually missing the Kantarouwho was spewing death threats moments prior.

* * *

><p>Any Fruits Basket fans will know what I mean when I say: High school girls~ High school girls~ Another pair that'd get along well: Kan-chan and Shigure. Now I'm getting ideas. Ooooh boy.<p>

On a more related note: Lots of new faces here. Sasada and Taki- especially Taki- will get more face-time in the next chapter. Why? Because Madara hasn't come out, of course!


	11. Secrets Secrets Are No Fun

Finally allowed out of Kantarou's room, Youko made her way as silently as possible to the kitchen. Kantarou was abusing their names more than usual today, so it was best to avoid him as much as possible. "I'm no pervert," Kantarou huffed, "Besides which, what do you think I could do like this?"

Haruka rolled his eyes, "Just keep running your mouth, genius."

Ignoring the tengu's comment, Kantarou stated, "I have a plan, believe it or not. Having had the most experience with Ibaragi and friends, I think this'll work."

Taki gasped, covering her mouth, "Ibaragi, like Douji Ibaragi?"

Kantarou smiled, "You're a well-learned little lady. The very same. She and her friends are the ones keeping Natsume-kun captive."

"Natsume's been taken captive?" Sadsada wondered aloud, seeming rather shocked by this development.

Attempting to explain their confusion, Taki added helpfully, "Sasada-chan came to visit me, and we were on our way to visit Takashi-kun when we overheard his aunt and uncle talking about him and saying they were worried about him and hoped 'that man' and Tanuma would get to the bottom of it, so we went to Tanuma-san's house to investigate, and then we saw him leaving with Natori-san..." Her voice trailed off as her face brightened. No longer the shy girl who felt like she was intruding, she burst into the room, nearly knocking the wounded Kantarou over as she ran to the lucky cat that had just come out of the room. "Kitty! Fluffy, soft, cuddly," She continued to rant while everyone but Tanuma and Sasada, who were used to this behavior, stared on.

"She's obsessed with that cat of Natsume's." Sasada offered with a sigh.

"Kantarou, you attract strange people." Sugino commented, waving for Youko to serve him first when she came in with the tea.

"He's the strangest of them all," Haruka agreed, looking down to his master who was pouting back at him, "Are you ready to sit down and have some tea now? You're supposed to be in bed, you know."

Kantarou huffed as he allowed Haruka to help him sit, everyone else joining him on the floor, with the exception of Taki, who was still swooning over Madara. "I'll debrief you quickly, but then we need to get going. I don't think they'll kill him so long as they think I'm dying, but it'd be bad if he talks too much." Though everyone seemed rather confused by that last bit, they listened patiently as Kantarou caught Natori, Taki, and Sasada up to the situation, leaving out the details that might give away either of Natsume's secrets. "So we have to go... wherever Sugino-sama tells us... to get to him before Minamoto finds out I'm not dying and starts with the murder threats again."

"It's bothersome that so many powerful forces are working together against us." Natori said thoughtfully.

Kantarou grinned, "What, are you scaaared?" he teased, "I'll have you know we've had countlless encounters with them and always come out more or less alright."

"That's because of the contract," Haruka muttered, though he knew his master wasn't listening.

"Anyway, the good news is, now we know that the mantra and sutras I put on Tanuma-san work against Ibaragi, so... Here's the plan: Haruka, Natori, whatever minions Natori can scrounge up, and Madara go in there, guns-a-blazing, and start attacking Minamoto, Ibaragi, and Watanabe-"

"That's insane and going to get you all killed." Sugino stated bluntly, earning the attention of everyone in the room. "But by all means, go on. I have nothing against the death of the two of you, and I know the demon eater will make it out fine without your idiocy holding him back."

"Your support is overwhelming, Sugino-sama." Kantarou said sarcastically, "Just keep listening, I'm not done yet. We're not going in to start a real fight, just a distraction while Youko-chan, Sasada-san, and Taki-san untie Natsume and escape."

"And where will you be during all this, oh great leader?" Youko mocked.

"Ideally, in bed, recovering." Kantarou paused with a sigh, "Realistically, the front lines with Haruka."

"Do you have a death wish?!" Youko snapped, "I know they don't want to kill you, but being out there is just... It's completely reckless, even for you, Kan-chan!" Youko scolded, worried for her master's safety.

Kantarou smiled and said dryly, "That's the plan. Avoiding killing me will be another distraction, just in case."

"And if you die in the process?"

"I prefer not to think about that." Kantarou stated simply, "Ye of little faith. I'll be just fine, just you wait and see."

"Kantarou..." Haruka's voice was low and dangerous, knowing all of the repercussions of Kantarou's potential death.

Kantarou smiled at the tengu, "Take good care of me, Haruka," With much difficulty, he stood up and said, "Sugino-sama, you don't have to stay for the fight, but will you please lead the way?"

"Fine. Are we leaving now, then?" He asked, standing as well.

"Not quite. We have to place the mantras and sutras on Youko-chan, Sasada-san, and Taki-san. Natori, I assume you know how to do at least that much without hurting anybody?" He questioned with a glare at his fellow exorcist.

"There's no need to be so hostile towards one of your own."

"You and I are nothing alike." Kantarou grumbled, glaring at the man.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking," Tanuma interjected, "When you and Natsume-san put the sutras on me, I had to undress... So... Who's going to...?"

A grin broke through Kantarou's angered face, "For Natsume-kun, of course."

"Pervert." Youko and Haruka mumbled in unison.

"You first, Youko-chan~" Kantarou turned to the kitsune, smiling. Appearances might suggest that he was punishing her, but things are not always as they seem. When they got into Kantarou's room, where he was going to get her marked up while Natori did Sasada in her room, he told the youkai, "Don't worry so much, Youko-chan. I know what I'm doing, and you're my secret weapon."

She blinked, then scowled, not believing him, "Don't yank my chain, Kan-chan."

"I'm serious," Kantarou struggled to keep his voice down, "You're special in that you can revert to your youkai form, unlike the human girls. In youkai form with these sutras and mantras, you'll be rendered invisible not only to Ibaragi, but to them and Tanuma as well."

"Where are you going with this?" Youko challenged, curious now. He did have a point there.

"Youko-chan, if I'm right, and this is a long shot, but... When the restraints are loose enough that Natsume can get away, I need you to tell him privately that Ibaragi has the Book of Friends. His power and rage should create enough of a distraction for us to get away clean, at which point we can tell him the truth." Kantarou explained, "Like I said, it's a long shot. In addition to that, you can help him erect a barrier to make sure that I don't get too close to the action. You know enough about mantras to spell one out for him, don't you?" He smiled gently at the kitsune, who nodded in response, "See? We'll be just fine... But don't tell Haruka about this conversation."

Youko frowned a bit, "Why can't we tell Haruka-chan?"

"They say people get stronger when they have someone they need to protect, someone who needs the help only they can offer. You've seen it in me, haven't you? When I set Haruka free, and when Minamoto had that cannon pointed at him..."

"That was incredible, Kan-chan, you were so fast..." Youko remembered, smiling a bit, "I trust you, Kan-chan."

Grinning, Kantarou mussed the kitsune's hair, "That's the spirit. Now come on, let's get the sutras on you before they start to wonder."

When the two emerged from Kantarou's room, they were greeted with questioning looks. "Certainly took you long enough," Haruka commented, eyeing his master. He didn't really believe that Kantarou would do anything untoward to Youko, but there was always a reason when the man acted suspiciously, and it was rarely something he wanted to hear.

"Give him a break, Haruka-chan, he's got three broken ribs, remember?" Youko reminded, reassuring the other youkai that everything was fine between her and Kantarou.

"I'll take care of Taki-san, then, if he's not feeling up to it." Natori challenged.

Seething, Kantarou snapped, "I'm feeling just fine, thank you! Tanuma, I'll refresh your sutras. You seem to have washed them off."

"I looked like I'd been run over by a car," Tanuma argued as Natori and Taki went to Youko's room. "Besides, the mantra probably wore off by now anyway."

"Fair enough," Kantarou said, seeming a bit distracted as he motioned for Tanuma to follow him to his room.

Intrigued by this sudden behavioral change, Haruka decided to listen in on their conversation through the door. "Haruka, eavesdropping is rude!" Youko scolded, though he simply raised a hand to silence her.

"Ichinomiya-sensei, is something bothering you?" He heard Tanuma ask. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd noticed that Kantarou was acting strangely.

There was a pause, a silent hesitation, before Kantarou finally replied, "I'm not sure this is going to work." Another pause, obviously Tanuma was surprised by this. "Last time, Natsume-kun and I had been working together on both the sutras and mantras, so both of our energies were embedded in your protection. Ibaragi may not look like much in her preferred form, but she's insanely strong... By myself, I'm not sure this is going to work against her."

Another thoughtful pause, "Then why don't you work with Natori-san? That's why he's here, right?"

With a frustrated sigh, Kantarou stated simply, "It's not enough. He and Natsume are on two entirely different levels of spiritual energy. Probably about the difference between himself and Taki-chan."

"That much?"

"I hate to admit it, but he rivals even myself... but his energy is raw, and he seems to have trouble controlling and focusing it. Another reason why that exercise was good for him. Unfortunately, the fact that it's so in-your-face is going to stand out to Ibaragi and Minamoto." Kantarou explained, lowering his voice.

"Why does that matter?" Tanuma wondered.

"Why? Well," Kantarou hesitated, trying to come up with the right excuse, "He has the kind of power that they want on their side, willingly or not." Not a lie, really, just not the whole truth. "Anyway, no more talking. If Haruka stands in the doorway much longer, Youko-chan will get curious. She doesn't need to hear about this. She'll freak out and insist on waiting, but frankly, we don't have the time for that."

Surprised to hear his name, Haruka asked, "...How long did you know I was here?"

"You came over just about a minute after I closed the door. You should know by now, I feel you, Haruka." This was followed by the chanting of the mantra, Kantarou's way of ending the conversation. Not long after, the two emerged, only to find Haruka waiting for them. "You didn't have to stay after I called you out, you know."

Haruka sighed, "I hope you know what the hell you're doing."

"Have some faith in your master, would you?" Kantarou used this opportunity to lean on Haruka and wrap his arm around the other's neck, using him as a crutch. "This part may fail, but our ultimate goal of saving Natsume-kun is in no great danger."

Finally, when everyone was gathered in his kitchen, Kantarou said, "Alright, Sugino-sama, lead the way."

* * *

><p>Hehe. Tactics, if I dare say so myself. Kan-chan is the little tactician with his secrets.<p> 


	12. Untitled

Let me just say, this WAS going to be one of probably two or three fight chapters, but, well... I noticed an issue with Kantarou's little escape plan. That being, wings. -sigh-

* * *

><p>After much debate, it was decided that they had no choice but to walk to Minamoto's hideout. It was determined that Sugino was decidedly not carrying anyone, Haruka was simply not big enough to carry more than two people at most, and Madara couldn't handle four individuals on his own either. ((AN: Natori, Kantarou, Youko, Taki, Sasada, Tanuma... Minus 2... Four.)) It was also decided that this method wouldn't be fast enough to make a grand escape. "Well this is getting absolutely nowhere. Call me when we're leaving, I'm going to take a nap." Haruka mumbled, yawning as he attempted to escape the bickering people in the kitchen. It was then that there was a sudden clatter as the door opened and a child ran inside and hid behind Kantarou.

"Ah! Rosalie-chan! Just the girl I wanted to see." Kantarou greeted, turning around a bit too quickly, causing pain to radiate through his chest again. He winced, but did his best to keep a brave face on for the girl.

"... What happened?" She asked, somewhat shy as she noticed everyone else in the room, "Who are they?"

"They're-"

"ROSALIE!" As if on cue, Hasumi burst through the door Rosalie had just come from. Surprised to see so many people, he asked "... Ichinomiya, what the HELL are you doing? Aren't you a bit broke to be having a party?"

"Aren't you a bit... I don't have time for this. Get out of my house." Kantarou demanded, though nobody moved an inch. Rosalie tugged at Kantarou's hakama, attempting to get his attention.

"Give Rosalie back!" Hasumi ordered, not seeming to notice Kantarou's condition.

"She came here of her own free will and is always welcome in my home, unlike yo... you... I need a drink. Haruka, make him go away, I need to talk to Rosalie-chan."

Frowning, Youko stated, "You shouldn't get her involved in this, Kan-chan."

"She already is, no thanks to Hasumi there." Kantarou snarled at his rival before turning to Rosalie and doing his best to get to her level without hurting himself, "Rosalie-chan, do you think you can do me a big favor?"

Eyeing him warily, she asked, "What is it...?"

"My friend got kidnapped by a demon, and we're all going to help him, but we need to be able to escape quickly, and there just aren't enough big, flying youkai here to help with that. Do you know anyone who could help us?" Kantarou asked gently.

"Demons? Youkai? Stop filling my Rosalie's head with lies, Ichinomiya!" Hasumi demanded.

This got a rise out of Kantarou, who turned on his heels, not seeming to notice the pain as he pinned Hasumi to the wall with his broken, casted arm, "What did you say? You're one to talk, asshole. You think you can just get away with doing whatever the hell you want and then tell us we're lying when we-"

"Kan-chan, stop it!" Youko and Haruka, who had been caught in a bit of a daze by this sudden personality change, pried him away from Hasumi.

"I... Sorry..." Kantarou sighed and allowed himself to fall back against the two youkai, "Just leave, Hasumi. I don't have the time or energy to deal with you."

Rubbing his neck, the younger man replied, "I told you, I'll leave when you unhand... Rosalie-chan? Where'd she go? ICHINOMIYA!" Everyone turned their attention to where the girl had been and noticed that the space was empty.

"It's like she knows~" Kantarou grinned, "Let's wait here for a bit, then."

"You think that child is going to resolve this?" Natori questioned.

"Of course not. At least not completely. Apparently your dumb ass didn't notice, but Muu-chan left, too. Quite a while ago, actually." Kantarou pointed out, nodding to Sugino's empty arms.

The tengu, not having noticed this himself, glared at Kantarou, "I really hate you."

"Muu-chan will be back soon, Sugino-sama," Kantarou assured him, still beaming. "Now how about that nap I mentioned?"

"_I_ mentioned a nap." Haruka reminded, shooting a look at his master.

"But I'm hurt~ We can take a nap together!"

"Not on your life." Haruka mumbled with a sigh, rolling his eyes a bit.

Pouting even though he knew he should have expected that response, Kantarou ordered, "At least help me to my room."

Dumbfounded, Sasada asked, "So that's it? We're going to have naptime like we're in kindergarten and call it a day?"

"Nobody's calling it a day, I just need some rest. It shouldn't take Rosalie-chan and Muu-chan long to find a couple of worthy candidates. Like I said, they won't kill Natsume-kun no matter what, so don't worry so much. We'll strike at sundown. Until then, I suggest you all take a nap, too. Or go home, if you're Hasumi. Meanwhile, you might want to call your troops in, Natori." Kantarou told them.

Eyeing Kantarou, Hasumi asked, "Just what is it you're up to, Ichinomiya?"

"Nothing you can see, so don't worry about it, jerk." Kantarou grumbled, "Make up your mind. Believe in youkai or don't, but quit using Rosalie-chan or I really _will _kidnap her. She's not your guinea pig." Deciding he didn't want this to turn into another brawl, Haruka led Kantarou to his room. Things were just getting more and more complicated.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Natsume is still unconscious<p>

"Well this got boring mighty fast," Minamoto complained, "Why'd you have to go and piss him off?" He asked, looking to the rubble that was once a wall as Ibaragi stood up and dusted herself off.

"That little brat," She hissed, "I'd kill him now if I didn't think he knew the location of that book."

This suggestion somewhat annoyed Minamoto. "You'd give up on the demon eating tengu for that thing?" He challenged.

"Hah! In a heartbeat! That tengu is powerful, to be certain, but even he couldn't take the hoards that could be summoned with the Book of Friends. And killed, for that matter. Supposedly their souls are so bound to that paper that anything that happens to their page in the book happens to their very souls." Ibaragi stated as she returned through the hole in the wall, "You have no idea how much damage I could do with that book."

A rather enraged Minamoto, feeling somewhat betrayed, though he knew he should have expected as much from the demon, was ready to charge at her when his faithful servant Watanabe grabbed his wrist. "Let's go for a walk to cool our heads while the boy rests," The man suggested, knowing that severing their ties with Ibaragi would be detrimental to their goal.

"Fine." Minamoto mumbled, snapping his wrist away from the other man and charging out the door.

* * *

><p>That was short<p>

Unfortunately for Kantarou, there's no rest for the wicked until they close their eyes for good. Haruka had no intention of letting his master sleep when they got to his room. Once Kantarou was comfortable in bed, the tengu began bombarding him with questions. "Why'd you bring that girl into this, Kantarou?"

"Mmmph, I told you, she's been involved since she met Edwards. Lemme sleep." Kantarou mumbled.

"No, I won't let you sleep. Order me away and I'll send Hasumi in here. to annoy you. I can't do what you tell me if I don't understand your purpose." Haruka stated bluntly.

"You know why we have to save Natsume-kun." Kantarou heaved a sigh, giving up on sleep for now. Haruka was right, and it wasn't really fair to keep him in the dark when it came to these things.

"I don't. You're a manipulative, cruel bastard who will use anything and everything to his advantage to get what he wants. I know that. I don't know _what_ you want."

"... That was mean." Kantarou muttered softly. "But in answer to your question, I guess you could say I've become attached to him. Kindred spirits and the like."

"...Because he can see youkai?" Haruka questioned. If that were true, he'd be best friends with Natori too, right?

Kantarou shook his head, "Not just that. The book... His grandmother created it so she could control youkai, because she was basically a big bully to them, right? But he's trying to return the names to them and right her wrongs. I may not be correcting an ancestor's mistakes, but I'd like to think that I'm helping both humans and youkai when I talk to them. And what Tanuma-kun said about his being passed around families and never seeming to fit in... I can relate to that. Perhaps not on the same level, but..." He looked to Haruka, "If I wanted the book, I'd just keep it and use it as I please, but I'm not doing that, so don't think I'd go that low."

"But it's okay to use a child?" The tengu countered. He almost felt bad for continuing after Kantarou had, for once, been so open and honest with him, but he had to know more before they went into battle with Ibaragi again.

"I'm not using her, she came to me. Like I told Hasumi, if she comes to me for protection from his 'possession experiments' again, I'm going to kidnap her for real. I wasn't joking about that. Saying "I love you" doesn't make everything okay again, it just makes the one saying it feel better about themselves while continuing to relentlessly corrupt the other-"

"Who are you talking about?" Haruka wondered aloud. When he went on tangents about this particular subject, it was hard to tell if he was talking more about himself or Rosalie.

With another sigh, Kantarou mumbled, "Both of us, I suppose. Haruka, I'm tired and sore, please let me rest until they come back."

"Too late," Haruka replied, sensing Muu-chan before Kantarou was able to. "One more question. Do you really think this is going to work?"

With a grin, Kantarou replied, "Absolutely. We won't lose, Haruka. We _can't_ lose. The combined strength of Natsume, Natori and I, plus you and God knows how many youkai Natori's enslaved... We'll be just fine. Besides, we're not going there to win. We're going there to rescue. Remember that. Don't use all your strength fighting today, alright?"

"I don't understand you sometimes," Haruka commented, though he helped Kantarou to his feet regardless. "If you think we're going to be so powerful, why not just take them out now? You know they're going to keep following us until they get what they want or die trying."

"Yes, but... My grudge against them is personal, 'cause they're after you. Right now, we're all going for the mutual cause of saving Natsume... When I defeat them, I want to be able to say you and I did it ourselves. I don't want help from anybody else because it's not their battle to win." Kantarou leaned into Haruka and allowed the tengu to take him out of the safety of his room, "I'm selfish," He admitted softly, "I don't want anybody else to be allowed to fight for your sake." With this said, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a peaceful smile.

"...You're seriously going to sleep now? You're unbelievable." Haruka stated, though he seemed more amused than angry as he carried his sleeping master to the kitchen in his arms.

Hearing footsteps and expecting her master to be wide-awake and ready to go, Youko stood up and went to greet Haruka in the hallway, "Well you look happy," She commented, noticing his demeanor had changed.

"Do I?" Deciding he didn't want to share the conversation with everyone, he made a face as he said, "Because I'm not. This idiot fell asleep on me right when I told him they were getting close."

"At a time like this? What kind of master is that?" Natori challenged, eyeing the two youkai and their master.

"The kind that isn't awake to tell me not to kill you." Haruka replied simply, glaring at the man. He no longer had to pretend to be angry. Just the presence of Natori in his home was enough to set him off. Thankfully, the slam of the door opening snapped both of them out of battle mode.

"And then I told her-" A woman who was talking rather loudly silenced herself when she came face-to-face with Haruka. "The demon eating tengu? Rosa-chan, you didn't tell us we'd be going against _him._" she said, looking down at the girl beside her.

Madara opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Haruka, which was good, because Sasada was still there. "Hinoe? I thought I killed you."

"You an' me both. I got lucky that day. Misuzu is still around, too. We told him to wait outside. Oh, and the tanuki's here, too..." Hinoe commented, "Why are you carrying a human boy around?"

"He's-"

Haruka was cut off when Hasumi said, "Why on earth would you try to kill Rosalie-chan, Haruka-kun?"

As if on cue, Kantarou sat up in Haruka's arms and snapped, "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? GO HOME, DAMN YOU! You're making it extremely difficult to catch up on my rest!"

"So you were faking it. That explains why you fell asleep so quickly. And why you were smirking." Haruka muttered, not bothering to look down at Kantarou.

"I wasn't at first," Kantarou admitted, looking to Hasumi, "He's not talking to Rosalie, he's talking to the youkai next to her. And the three lined up behind her because they're afraid of Haruka. Nothing you can see, as I said, so GO HOME."

"Rosalie-chan, Kan-chan's right. You don't want to stick around to see how this ends. You can come play over here tomorrow, okay? We can make a cake!" Youko offered, trying to come down to the girl's level. Rosalie, however, wasn't going for it, and shook her head.

"Rosa wants to come." She stated bluntly.

"Come where? Aren't we here already?" Hinoe questioned, looking to the girl.

Kantarou sighed and rolled his eyes, "No, we haven't _left_ yet. Rosalie-chan, you can't come with this time. I'm sorry, but it's just too dangerous, and there are too many of us going as it is."

"But what about-"

"We're on the same side this time, Hinoe." Haruka replied before she could finish. "We're going after Douji Ibaragi."

"Iba- You've got to be kidding me." Hinoe protested, eyeing him suspiciously.

"She'll kill us all!" One of the

"She'll kill us all!" One of the Chuyakuu (mid-level youkai) Natsume had previously rescued from the elder Tanuma's purifications warned.

"Kill us all, kill us all." The other agreed. Even Chobihige nodded in agreement.

Kantarou sighed, annoyed, "Nobody's going to die. Why are all of you even here? The big guy outside should be more than enough help- we just need a quick escape. More youkai are just going to slow us down."

"So you're the one Rosa-chan spoke of? Tell me, why is the demon eater holding you? And why is that tanuki here?" Hinoe questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Hinoe, is it? I'm Ichinomia Kantarou. Haruka's carrying me because my ribs are broken and I can't walk too well." He admitted.

"Haruka? I see. So you broke his seal and named him, is that it? I pity him for being enslaved by another human, but it must be better than living in a rock." Hinoe commented, brushing her hair from her eyes. "And the tanuki?"

"Madara's here because he failed at his job as a bodyguard and is trying to correct that problem." Haruka replied.

With another sigh, Kantarou muttered, "Don't try to cover for me, Haruka. It's my fault they took Natsume-kun... I shouldn't have stuck around so long."

"Natsume-sama? They took Natsume-sama?!" The brighter of the Chuyakuu asked, enraged.

Kantarou blinked, rather surprised, "You know Natsume-kun?"

"Of course we know him!" Hinoe scoffed, "He's the grandson of Reiko, how could we not know him?"

"I suppose that's true... I just didn't think you'd know him _personall__y_." Kantarou shifted a bit in Haruka's arms, "If you insist on tagging along, you're responsible for getting yourselves out of there."

"We insist! As Natsume's dogs, we have no choice but to help him when he's in danger!" The brighter Chuyakuu proclaimed.

"No choice, no choice," The other agreed.

Kantarou eyed them for a moment before deciding that they were just being stupid and ridiculous. Natsume had the Book of Friends- he could call upon far stronger (and smarter) youkai if he so chose. "Very well then. Let's head out before my house gets any more crowded. Sugino-sama? Please lead the way... And Natori, help those who can't fly find Misuzu. Rosalie-chan, I'm sorry, but you can't come this time, I'm serious."

"He's right, kiddo. This fight's no place for a good girl like you." Hinoe agreed, ruffling the child's hair affectionately.

"Rosa wants to come," She insisted, looking from Haruka and Kantarou to Hinoe hopefully.

"Rosalie-chan," Kantarou called to her gently, "As much as I hate to say it, you're safer with Hasumi's antics and experiments than you would be going with us. I don't want to be responsible for you being hurt, or worse." The two of them looked one another directly in the eye in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Rosalie finally seemed to give up and turned to leave.

"R-Rosalie, wait!" Hasumi rushed out the door after her, but not before shouting a few expletives back at Kantarou.

"That solves one problem. Madara-sama, I'm expecting you to help carry people, too." Kantarou told him, "This is, in part, your fault, too. You should've gotten Natsume-kun out of there before things got out of hand."

"Hmph!" The cat looked away from him and transformed into his natural state. "Don't look down on me, human. You can't even fight back as it is."

Blinking in surprise, Sasada asked, "Where'd Nyankichi go?" She was the only one who still failed to understand that the cat was, in fact, a youkai.

"Put your hand out in front of you and take three steps forward." Kantarou advised, and the girl did as she was told, rather surprised when her hand was met with something soft and furry.

"So soft!" She exclaimed, petting Madara's leg.

"I guess we'll split this up by gender for now. Madara-sama, you take the girls, and Misuzu can take the boys... Haruka will carry me." Kantarou said, being the best party leader he could. I need extra support because of my ribs," He added, in case this seemed strange to anyone. When everyone seemed satisfied with this, Natori, the only one who could see both humans and youkai, helped everyone onto their appropriate mounts and clambered onto Misuzu as well.

"Right then, let's go." Sugino said, and took off.

* * *

><p>This one took a long time, but... It's way longer than usual, so that's good for something, right? xD<p> 


	13. Truce

Really long author's note of doooooom. Not really, just long author's note.

I've been bad about responding to reviews, haven't I? Alright, well, since it seems like it's usually the same person anyway, here's a response to the last one:

They're short for a reason. When I started reading fanfics, I often didn't have time to finish reading super-lengthy chapters for one reason or another, and would get frustrated when I then had to go looking through 10,000 words to find where I left off. It bothered me so much that I decided to go with shorter chapters so when people read my fanfics, they'd always know whereabouts they left off and wouldn't have as much frustration as I did. That's why they're shorter than some other fics.

As for Kantarou's response to Natori, you are right that he usually doesn't judge until he gets to know someone, but, knowing how much the Natori family would have come up in his research over the years, you can imagine that he wouldn't be particularly fond of their methods, and he was obviously trained under his ancestors. Haruka's negativity would also get to him to some degree, so I don't think it's too out of character. Then there's the fact that Natori is in any and all ways more successful than Kantarou, as well as being a fellow exorcist, which would make him jealous for obvious reasons. Also, because he's an exorcist, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine they'd at least seen one another before. Natori goes to little clan meetings with other exorcists, and I'd imagine Kantarou would too, if only for bragging rights about Haruka, and before he found Haruka, to get clues as to where he might be. Plus... It's in Kantarou's nature to insult people he disapproves of. Hasumi is a lovely example. A few quips from the manga. "Oh, hey prickface." "My noble quest of beating Hasumi's ass depends on it." And of course, "See? He's even poor. Drop the dud." Of course there's also the time he got enraged when he found out about Hasumi's experiments on Rosalie... My point is, insulting people he dislikes is very much in his nature. That said, I probably should have had him throw in a few insults about Minamoto. I doubt he'd go so far as to insult Ibaragi, as she's a demon, but Minamoto, he could have at least said something like, "that pompous ass." In fact... I think I'll use that line.

Same responses... Yeah. They do that. But that's just how it is. I mean, he's not going to come out and suddenly be like "JK, I LOVE YOU ALL, GROUP HUG~" that'd just be madness and difficult to keep up with. I guess I'm trying to be consistent? I should probably have made that last chapter an extension of the one before, but... I don't really like editing my chapters because then things get complicated and people have to go back and reread everything and... Blah. At any rate, I felt it important to include some help-getting, especially since it'd be Natsume's friends. Hinoe in particular- I can't imagine her NOT going. Of course, Misuzu will also be useful because his name is in the book... Now that I think of it, I should've included Tama. Tama was so adorable~ too late now though. It's time to go! I think I have a general outline of how it's going to go down, so hopefully I won't screw it up!

As for everyone who hasn't commented: DO IT. Reviews encourage me to keep writing because they assure me that people care enough about the story to take the time to write a note about it. Even if it's just "You suck." or "Keep up the good work!" just something to let me know you care is all I ask, because honestly, most of the fics that are on hold on my account right now are on hold due to lack of reviews. Just FYI.

Enough with the rant. Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?

* * *

><p>They hadn't gone far when the mini mob came to a screeching halt, "I'm not going any further," Sugino warned, looking back at Kantarou, "You may have a death wish, but I'm going to pass on that." This said, Sugino took off rather suddenly. In truth, they were only about ten miles from Kantarou's home, and were currently over a dense forest.<p>

Confused, as she couldn't see or hear Sugino, Sasada looked back to Kantarou and asked, "Why'd we stop? Are we here already? I don't see anything..."

"You don't see anything because there's nothing there," Kantarou said with a small chuckle, "We stopped because Sugino-sama took off and said he wasn't taking us any further. I can't say I blame him. Minamoto's nearby... But I don't sense Natsume-kun or Ibaragi."

"She could be shielding his energy," Haruka reminded, "Though that doesn't explain Minamoto. Either way, we should get going before he notices-"

"Oi~ Demon eater! Come down here, will you?"Minamoto called from somewhere in the foliage beneath them.

Squirming a bit as he tried to look down to see if he could spot Minamoto, Kantarou told Haruka, "Be careful, and don't get too close."

Haruka was a bit more hesitant about going to play with Minamoto with Kantarou in his current condition. He'd have to dodge blows from Minamoto while being careful to properly support Kantarou. "Are you sure? We could just keep going. We've been flying in pretty much a straight line for a while now, so we should be able to see something if we just keep going." He pointed out.

"But Minamoto might be out here keeping an eye out for us, ready to warn Ibaragi the moment he sees something suspicious." Kantarou countered, "As much as I'd like to, we can't just ignore him."

"Come on down, I have something good to tell you!" The man called up to them again.

"He may not be suspicious about the rest of you. Keep your distance... If there's trouble, Haruka will use his lightning." Kantarou told the others. "Hopefully we won't be long. Go on, Haruka." Cautiously, the tengu lowered himself to Minamoto's level. Of course, he was sure to keep his distance- about thirty feet up and thirty feet away. Enough space to see him and not have to yell while still far enough to evade, or at least see most attacks coming.

"Ah, you're still alive. I suppose that's a good thing," Minamoto commented when Kantarou was within sight. "You look like hell though."

"Stop acting like we're old friends." Kantarou snapped, "What did you call to us for?"

Minamoto frowned playfully, "No need to be so hostile- I just wanted to talk." When there was no response aside from the suspicious glares of Haruka and Kantarou, he added, "I wanted to tell you you're going the wrong way. You want to go East of here." He pointed, in case there was any confusion as to which direction "East" was.

"What do you have waiting for us in the East?" The priest wondered, not believing for even a moment that Minamoto was actually trying to help them.

With an annoyed sigh, Minamoto's face became suddenly serious, "We can go back to our regularly scheduled battle tomorrow, for now, our goals are... Similar enough. I assume you're here to rescue that boy?" Met with more silence, he continued, "Ibaragi needs to learn her place. As I'm sure you already know, that boy has something to do with the Book of Friends. I presume you've heard of it- you've probably done more research than Ibaragi has on the matter. Rin tried to deny his involvement, but he's a poor liar, at least on that particular subject."

A somber recognition of the name came over Haruka, and he shuddered. He couldn't remember who the name belonged to, or why he loathed it so, but it was undeniable. "Rin?" He questioned.

"He introduced himself as Maeda Rin. Judging by your reaction, I was correct in assuming it was an alibi. I found it rather amusing that he should come up with the name Rin, don't you?" Minamoto said, taunting Haruka a bit.

Left out and confused, Kantarou attempted to change the subject, "What-"

"What do you know about that name?" Haruka cut in, completely ignoring Kantarou.

"Ahh, I suppose you wouldn't remember, would you? No matter- don't worry yourself with that now. Once we've awakened you properly, I'm sure you'll remember every last detail about Rin."

Knowing that Haruka's past was a sensitive subject, and that teasing him about it was an inherently terrible idea, Kantarou shouted, "WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! I don't know who you're talking about, but frankly, it doesn't matter right now. Why are you saying Ibaragi needs to learn her place?" Haruka was a bit hurt by this, but he still couldn't quite grasp why. Giving up, he looked off to the side, turning his head. Thankfully, he'd become so used to disguising his emotions that he looked more annoyed than anything.

"Hmm, well this is something even _you_ can relate to," Minamoto replied, "She seems to think that Book of Friends is more important then the demon eater."

Kantarou blinked, utterly shocked, "More important than Haruka?!" He gasped.

"That's what I said! What could possibly be more important than him?!" Minamoto enthused. Though they were both on entirely different ends of the spectrum as far as Haruka went, they could at least agree that he was more important than a book.

"Setting aside how horribly creepy it is that you two are both saying this right in front of me," Haruka interjected, trying to remind them that they weren't alone, "I don't see why it's our problem if she wants to chase the stupid book instead of me. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Absolutely not!" Kantarou replied, looking to Haruka with his all-knowing expression. Of course he hadn't forgotten who's side he was on. "You can fend for yourself, Haruka. That book, and it's owner for that matter, aren't prepared for that yet, especially not against Ibaragi. So I understand where you're coming from, that it's in everyone's best interests to correct this behavior." He added, turning back to Minamoto. "I've amassed an army of my own for the occasion. Can I trust you to lead us to her?"

"I expected nothing less," Minamoto said with his usual smartass grin, "As long as you don't mention my name who showed you the way, I've no complaints."

Kantarou nodded curtly, "Haruka, let's go tell the others about this... You think you can keep an eye on Minamoto from the canopy?"

"Of course I can." Haruka mumbled, almost insulted. "As long as he stays in relatively clear areas. I can't see through the trees." Without hesitating for instruction, the tengu made is way up toward the others.

Knowing they were all curious as to what had happened, Kantarou .summarized, "We're experiencing a truce with Minamoto. He's going to lead us to where they're keeping Natsume-kun... Though this is a "truce," I still don't trust that guy, so keep a lookout for traps or anything suspicious." With this said, Haruka took off after Minamoto, and the others followed. Though everyone had unanswered questions such as "why the truce," they knew it was not the time to ask. For now, they needed to focus on Natsume. They could ask all of those questions and more once he was safe and sound.

* * *

><p>Pretty short chapter, it was mostly to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you. I'm still here~<p> 


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